


A Splash of Magic

by bigwolfpup, TiBun



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types
Genre: Abuse, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Magic, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Attempted Sexual Assault, Bottom Obi-Wan Kenobi, Characters probably talk openly of sex too much, Gruesome Imagery with Use of Dark Magic, Human x Mer, Inter-Species Relationship, Lemon, Little Mermaid Elements, M/M, Merfolk AU, Merman Obi-Wan, Mers have intersex qualities, Modern Fantasy, Smut, Smut Scene is Easy to Skip Over, Top Anakin Skywalker, non-human sex, obikin
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-03
Updated: 2019-06-06
Packaged: 2019-10-21 09:17:04
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 22
Words: 103,319
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17640014
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bigwolfpup/pseuds/bigwolfpup, https://archiveofourown.org/users/TiBun/pseuds/TiBun
Summary: Long ago the world was full of magic. Unicorns, dragons, merfolk, centaurs and other beings of magic lived among humans peacefully until humans discovered dark magic. Driven by greed and a lust for power, they began hunting magical creatures and beings. Magic began to disappear for humans as more races of magic were driven to extinction or into hiding, leaving the human race to give up on magic and focus more on scientific advancement to bring them into the modern day; the magic of the past all but forgotten. Hundreds of years later, a prince who dreams of a more magical world skips out on his studies and discovers one of the secrets kept safe from humanity by the ocean's depths.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: We do not own any recognizable characters, we only explore the possibilities.
> 
> Skip chapter 15 if you find mer sex uncomfortable. You won't miss any important plot points.

Upon the salty summer waves of the ocean shone the bright midday sun, warm and inviting to leave behind the day's worries and just go for a swim in the hottest part of the day. Already several people were invested in activities on the beach, sunbathing, tossing a ball around, even swimming in the blue waters of the ocean. It was too nice of a day to be stuck inside doing studies like a good prince should do.

Anakin sighed, chewing on the end of his pencil as he looked out at the ocean, completely uninterested in the equations his tutor was trying, and failing, to teach him. Math simply wasn't holding the young man's interest that day, and it was understandable. Anakin was a prince who was stuck indoors on a nice day when he could be out among the citizens of his kingdom, splashing around in the ocean and taking long horseback rides into the evening. But no, he was being held inside just to learn some math equations he was sure he would never have to use ever again in his life. Besides, he was already twenty years old. All his career was going to entail was smiling at his subjects and making speeches, or something along those boring lines. Being in line for the throne was boring and pointless if he wasn't going to become king until much later in his life.

Anakin glanced at his tutor, an older man who sounded like he knew what he was doing, no matter what he was talking about. Anakin knew him as Palpatine, and as much as he appreciated the man's help with tutoring him since he was taken out of public school, it still didn't make the studies any more exciting. Anakin rolled his eyes and looked back at the ocean.

The elderly man with white hair glanced back at his single student and sighed. The young man wasn't listening. Daydreaming, at usual. He really should have expected it. The boy never seemed to outgrow his silly little fantasies of time long past. Anakin always enjoyed his history lessons for the stories of the time before magic started to die in the world. When unicorns were as common as horses, when dragons ruled the skies, and when mers could be seen sunbathing upon rocks near the shore. It had been a time of great adventures unlike anything anyone of the living world could know. And like most boys, Anakin had dreamed of being born in the old world, but unlike the other boys, he never seemed to grow out of it and instead take focus on more important things.

Pausing his lecture, Palpatine strolled over to the window and looked out over the sparkling waters that touched the castle grounds. Taking a guess as to which adventure the prince was imagining, he spoke; "There are some who still believe that great magic still exists, hidden deep in places human eyes are blind to—such as the ocean's depths."

Anakin looked up at Palpatine with a new expression. He was almost surprised that his tutor had given up on teaching the required lesson. Trying to hide his smile, Anakin looked back out at the ocean. "Do you think mermaids still exist?"

"Oh yes, I do think it possible. The ocean is deep, and we can only explore so deep before the pressure of the water is too great and begins to crush our expensive technology. Just because we have not had any confirmed sightings of mers in nearly eight hundred years doesn't mean they have gone extinct. We won't know for sure that they are gone until we can fully explore the oceans' floor. I believe they hide from us under our reach."

"Probably for good reason. Humans always seem to mess things up when it comes to ancient magic." Anakin sighed and closed his notebook. He wasn't going to do anymore work that day anyways.

"Humans grew greedy in their search for power. They hunted the species so closely woven to the world's natural magics to near extinction—and some to complete extinction. Now those remaining stay hidden, even with laws in place to protect them. We have lost the trust we once had with them, and the war we started with our greed was proof enough that we can never return to a peaceful life sharing this world as we used to. We are the dominate species, now, and we have built our very modern world on the graves of those far greater than us."

"I wish I could see a unicorn or a dragon in their natural habitat, no worries about humans hunting them to extinction. I want to hear the songs of hundred of mermaids. Everything magical... Seems dead now, all because of humans." Anakin looked back at Palpatine. "I'd give anything to just experience a little of that ancient magic."

"I know, dear boy, but it's difficult. Even for humans who have the ability to use magic can't get a taste of that true power anymore. Not without the help from the very creatures we drove out of this world. Sure, there are old relics of power and there are spell books to read, but so much of it requires gifts that can only be given by creatures of magic. We truly lost everything in our quest to gain more."

"I wish I could use magic," Anakin grumbled as he stood up from the table he sat at. "Wizards are lucky. They get to use magic out in public all the time."

"Some do, yes." The old man nodded, turning to look at the prince, "Some never realize they can, and some simply keeps it secret that they can as they don't like or want the attention that being a witch or wizard would bring them."

"Still, to be able to use magic whenever you want, even if that magic isn't as powerful as the ancient magic, it's still super cool. Makes me jealous I was born a prince and not a wizard."

"One's position in life is not what dictates if one is connected to magic, Prince Anakin. Magic can touch anyone on the moment of their birth, creating a connection to it. It is simply a rare gift many do not get."

"Too bad I wasn't chosen as one of those few." Anakin sighed and shoved his notebook and pencils back into his backpack. "I'm changing into my swimming trunks, and I'm going to the beach. Maybe going for a swim can make me feel like I have some sort of potential in my life."

Palpatine sighed, moving over to his desk and picked up a book, handing it out to Anakin, "Take this and give it a read during your breaks in the shade, at least. That way we can both say that you have learned something today if questioned. I'll quiz you on it when we meet tomorrow."

Anakin sighed as he grabbed the book, not looking at it, and put it in his backpack. "Right. I'll see you tomorrow." The prince waved half-heartedly as he left the room, ready to get into his swimming trunks and go swimming for the rest of the day.

 

* * *

 

The beach wasn't too busy in terms of how many people were there. Many recognized Anakin and bowed slightly before going back to their fun activities. Anakin didn't bother them too much. All he wanted to do was swim, and as soon as he had claimed a small plot of sand as his own, he headed to the water and waded in. A smile crossed his face when he was waist deep in the crystal waters. He could see little fish swimming around his legs as he walked in a little further, and then his feet left the sandy ocean floor as he started swimming. The water gave him a freedom that was hard to come by. He felt like a different person in the water, like he belonged there, and like the ocean called to him, beckoned him to go deeper, go further every time he went into the water.

He answered the ocean's call once more, taking in a breath and diving under the water's surface to swim deeper and collect shells. They were his prize for making it through the day without tearing up homework or ripping the stuffing out of his pillows.

Further and further out, the prince swam, leaving the sandy beach far behind as he swam, surfacing for air only as needed before diving back down again and following the fish weaving peacefully among the coral and weeds that grew along the sandy bottom.

He was about to surface again when something he never noticed before caught his eye. A dark spot further down a drop-off.

Anakin tilted his head to the side. The ocean presented him with a challenge, and he was willing to accept it after rising to the surface and filling his lungs with more air. Down he dove, mind burning with many questions leading to an adventure like those in ancient times.

When he got closer to the spot, he identified it as a cave. He took the chance of going into it, hoping there would be an air pocket inside where he could breathe a little. As luck would have it, there was indeed an air pocket inside the cave. It was a large one too, with a rocky shore that he could crawl up on and sit on.

The room was covered in glowing plants, ones Anakin had never seen before. He had to guess they were either bioluminescent or magical. Either would have satisfied his curiosity about them. Surprisingly, there were enough of the plants to light up the cavern quite well, and Anakin could easily see the shallowest part to climb out of the water and onto the rocks. With a sigh, he sat down on the rocks and looked around.

The cavern had a damp feel to it, but didn't seem musty, as he would have thought. The plants looked like flowers of blues, greens, and yellows, but grew upon the rocks like mushrooms, clinging to the rough surface but easily knocked off when touched. White-glowing pools of water were settled in low spots of the rocks, identical looking plants growing under the still surface.

Anakin crawled over to the closest pool, looking in it with a smile. He reached his hand down into the water, swirling it around some before pulling it back out and looking around the cavern. He raised his hand and snapped, smiling at how much it echoed. It really did seem like the cave was full of magic.

The simple snap's echo repeated until it softened into a musical tone, soft on the ears. Further into the cavern another noise joined the fading echo—a small plunk of water as if a small stone had been dropped into a pool.

Anakin's eyes darted towards the source of the other sound. His heart started to beat quicker in his chest. He didn't want to say anything for fear that the source of the noise was dangerous.

But still...

"Hello?"

The only response seemed to be the musical echo of his own inquiry, his own voice returning back to his ears as if in song.

Slowly, Anakin stood up and cautiously searched the different pools. The longer he went without finding anything, the more worried he became. He knew he had heard something else in the cavern. He just didn't know where it came from.

And then, finally, he came across a small but deep pool with something curled up at the bottom. A long, elegant tail covered in blue scales that shimmered rainbow in the pure white light of the plants that caused the pool to glow. Glittering fins of the same color that faded more transparent towards the tips. The blue scales moved from the curled tail and up the back, giving way to pale, freckled skin. There was a gentle swish of red hair flowing in the water, and a pair of terrified blue eyes fixed up at Anakin.

"Holy shit," Anakin whispered as he got down on his knees to look at the creature in the pool. There was no way. It was impossible that Anakin just happened to find a mermaid—no, merman. At least, it looked like a man to Anakin. He was a man if the 'human' half of the magical creature followed the same rules of human bodies—at least when it came to the body's physical sex. Assuming it was a he, the mer had a flat but muscular chest and broad shoulders, though his waist was skinnier as it narrowed  into a tail about where his hips would be. He also supported a short beard that matched the flowing hair so perfectly.

The mer shifted in the bottom of the pool, clearly nervous before he clearly decided to try and make an escape. His body curled up more, almost as if he were a crouching cat ready to pounce, and then he propelled himself up with enough power to sore over Anakin's head to the next pool over; landing with a splash. Then the action was repeated over and over as he moved back over to the shore where he'd be free in the Ocean and could exit the magical cavern.

Anakin scrambled to his feet as he tried to follow the merman back to the water, but the mysterious creature was faster than he could move, and before he knew it, the merman was already back in the water.

"Wait!" Anakin attempted to call out, but he was worried his call would land on unwilling ears.

The mer stopped, poking his head up out of the water, far out where he could still make a quick getaway should the human make any move that even hinted at being a threat.

Anakin fell to his knees at the edge of the water, eyes wide. "I didn't think you'd stop..."

"I didn't think I would." The mer responded, clearly able to speak the same language, yet he had a rich accent to his words.

"You're a mermaid," Anakin stated the obvious. "You do still exist..."

"Of course we do. As long as we stay far from you humans, we can continue to exist."

"Wow..." The prince sat back on his legs, completely in awe of being in the presence of such a mysterious creature. "I have so many questions; I don't even know where to start. But this is probably my only chance, and I'll never see you again after this. There's no way I can ask all my questions."

"You have questions?" the mer asked in surprise.

"Of course I do! Humans have been without magical creatures like you for centuries now; some don't believe that they ever existed. Now here's the chance for us to learn more about mers! I can't believe I'm talking to one right now."

"You hunted us. You yanked us from our waters to cut us up and use our scales, tears, and blood for your dark magic. If you have forgotten so much, then it can only be for the best. Dark magic should have never been touched. It only made your kind lust for more power, more darkness, even at the cost of my people and the other great races of magic."

"Well, if it makes you feel any better, humans hardly use magic anymore. Only a few have the gift of being able to use magic. I've never seen anyone use it before in person, but I've seen videos of it. It's so... Elegant."

The mer raised an eyebrow, "I don't know what a video is, but I assume you are meaning you haven't seen it with your own two eyes… Don't you use it yourself?"

Anakin shook his head. "Like I said, only a few humans actually know how to use magic. The knowledge has been lost over time."

The mer sighed, "The fact that we are even having this conversation is proof that you are connected to magic. Only humans gifted with magic can understand the language of any magical race. We are not speaking in your human tongue right now, but in Merian. You hear it as your own language because that is what you know, but magic is making it so you can understand."

Anakin blinked, clearly surprised by what the mer had said. "I'm connected to magic? But how? No one in my family is connected, my entire family history has had no magic at all!"

"That you know of." The merman pointed out, "And a human's connection to magic isn't always a family trait, but one gifted at birth."

Anakin shifted, crossing his legs to it more comfortably. "Okay, so if I'm connected to the ancient magic, how come I never knew until just now when you told me?"

"Have you ever tried to use magic?"

"There were a few times when I was a kid that I pretended to use magic, but I was scolded for doing so, so I quickly stopped."

"I'll take that as a no, then." The mer sighed, then hesitated before swimming closer and brought himself up so that it seemed he was just a human standing waist-deep in the water. He took one of the glowing flowers from the rocks and pressed it into Anakin's hand.

"Try. These are magic, themselves, and it'll be easier for you to test your talent on something magical more than something untouched by it."

Anakin looked at the flower in his hand, not sure of what to do. "Uh… do I eat this, or what?"

"Try to levitate it." The mer said with a roll of his ocean-blue eyes.

Sighing, the prince held his palm open and focused on the flower. After a few seconds, it started to float just above his palm, and his eyes went wide. "I have to be dreaming right now…"

"If this was a dream, I'm in a half nightmare."

Anakin sat back a little. "Am I scaring you?"

"You are human. History speaks for itself. So many horrors for my ancestors."

"Right… capture and murder and all that stuff." Anakin sighed and dropped the flower into the water where its color turned white. "You can leave now. I won't scare you anymore."

The mer looked back towards the other end of the cavern, "…I came here looking for something. I need to know if there is one here. I can't leave before that."

"Oh, well I don't want to make you feel like you're not safe here. I won't hurt you, I promise." Anakin got up and moved away from the water's edge and to the edge of the cavern that was away from any of the pools. "I just found this cave and, well, I was running out of oxygen, and I either had to resurface or go on a gut feeling that there was an air pocket down here."

"How did you get here?"

"I swam. I swim a lot in my free time."

"This place is too far out and too deep for a human to reach unaided."

"I can hold my breath for a long time. It helps that I've been swimming since I was little. Gotten lots of practice over the years."

"You must have a stronger than average connection to water magic to make it here—to find the hidden cave even fish can't find."

Anakin rubbed his face with his hands and sighed. "I can't believe I can use magic. Does this make me a wizard then? Most Wizards get ridiculed even though they perform such beautiful magic."

The mer shrugged, "If the stories of your kind are accurate, there are those connected to magic and then there are those who are forged from it. Witches and Wizards are forged from it, able to do so much more than simple tricks like levitation of small objects."

"So I'm just connected to it then." Anakin felt a little disappointed, but he was mostly relieved.

"That's what it feels like, unless you're part magical race so your powers don't come from a human connection. Those feel muted but are powerful." He nodded.

"At least my mom won't have to worry about me being a wizard then. She'd probably panic if I was one." Anakin shrugged, sitting down against the wall and hugging his knees.

"At least you won't be tempted to use dark magic."

"I don't even know if dark magic still exists. It's been so long since anyone has used it."

"Oh, it exists. For as long as there are those who wishes to use it, it will exist. Even if they haven't the tools they need to reach it."

Anakin shrugged. "I've heard how bad dark magic can be, but no one has seen it in action."

"Thank the fates for that."

"I'm upset it was ever used. Humans in the past ruined magic for humans now. It sucks, and now that I know that I'm connected to the magic, I'm even more disappointed."

"Humans ruined more than magic for humans. They ruined the sense of freedom and safety for the rest of us. We can't even warm ourselves in the sun for fear of capture."

"Don't mermaids dry out quickly though?"

"As long as we wet our scales, we're fine. It's not like we stray far from the water…wouldn't get very far very fast if we did…"

"If your tail dries out, does it become legs, or does it just stay a tail?"

"You're thinking of selkies and sirens, which are both cousin races to mers, but mers can't transform. If we dry out, our tails become stiff and our scales can start to chip off, leaving us vulnerable to harm and infections."

Anakin made a face. "Sounds painful." He gestured back to the pools. "You said you were looking for something… "

The mer nodded, "A marshbloom—like these ones, only mature. These are all still only sprouts and don't have the healing properties developed that are needed."

"No luck yet, I take it." Anakin happened to glance down at his digital watch to see the time, and he jumped to his feet. "Shit, I'm late for dinner! I didn't know I was spending this much time swimming."

"There is one I know of, but it's much too far out of my reach so I had to move on…" The mer paused, "If you help me get it, I can swim you faster out of here and as close as I dare to the shore so you won't be as late."

"Deal. Just show me where that bloom thing is."

The mer lifted his arm and pointed to a ledge high above that would be a bit difficult for Anakin to reach, but clearly impossible for the merman. Upon it grew a large marshbloom, glowing bright with golden filaments curling up from its center. "It's up there."

Anakin looked up at it. "Do you want the whole thing?" he asked as he moved over to it.

"Yes we…need all of it so that it will last us longer." The mer muttered with a nod.

"You got it." Anakin quickly climbed up to the ledge the marshbloom grew on and picked it. He jumped back down and jogged back to the mer, jumping into the water. "Here, now get me back to the surface."

"Patients, human."  The mer said, taking the bloom and reaching over to a bag woven of seaweed. He placed it in and looped the bag's long strap around his shoulder so that t crossed his chest and stayed secure. Then he nodded, "I thank you. You'll need to take a deep breath and be prepared to hold it."

"No problem." Anakin took in a huge breath and held it as he dove under the surface of the water.

The mer moved quickly, following behind and hooking his arms under the prince's armpits, pulling him along at full speed through the water at such a shocking pace it became difficult for the human to keep his breath held in. The mer moved gracefully through the waters, turning and twisting to avoid colliding with the walls of the cave.

Once out, he shot towards the surface like a missile. "Get ready to take another breath and we'll head towards shore under the surface." He said right before they broke the surface, soaring  through the air and giving Anakin the chance to take a fresh breath before they plunged deep again and the mer set course towards shore.

Anakin tried not to shout as rather than take a break, but the second breath he took in sounded more like a gasp, clearly surprised by just how fast the mer was taking him. The saltwater stung his eyes as they moved quickly, and he ended up closing them, trusting the mer to take him to the right place.

The mer jumped twice more, letting Anakin know each time to be ready to take a breath, before finally, he began slowing his swim and for once, gently breached the surface. "This is as close as I dare go. I can see human legs flailing about in the water ahead." He said.

Anakin caught his breath as he looked towards the beach. "Thanks… I never caught your name."

The mer looked at him as he let go, sure the human wouldn't sink as soon as he did, now that he had caught his breath. "You never offered yours, so I assumed you didn't care."

"Well, it's not every day I meet a mermaid." Anakin chuckled. "I'm Anakin."

"Obi-Wan."

"It was nice meeting you, Obi-Wan." Anakin smiled before he swam back to shore, leaving the mer behind, unsure if he would ever see Obi-Wan again.

 

* * *

 

Anakin stumbled back into his home with just his swimming trunks on. He was dripping water everywhere, he knew, but he was in too much of a hurry to get to the dining room where his family was waiting for him. He was sure they were very upset with him, especially since he was almost an hour late to dinner by the time he reached the castle. He quickly ran up to his room and changed into a black t-shirt and somewhat nice-looking pants and canvas shoes. His hair was still wet by the time he opened up the doors to the dining room, and he brushed it back with his hands as he entered, closing the door behind him.

Sitting at the table, already eating was his mother, his stepfather and stepbrother. All three of them looked upset, yet unsurprised that Anakin had walked in late.

Face red with embarrassment, Anakin took his seat next to his mother, keeping his head low and his eyes fixed on the table.

"You're late," Owen, Anakin's step-brother, said a little bitterly.

"Yeah, I know," Anakin mumbled.

"You're dripping." Owen huffed. "It's obvious you ran off to the beach again. Don't you have any sense of responsibility and duty?"

"I do, I just… lost track of time." Anakin glared at his stepbrother.

"That's enough, boys," Shmi said. "Owen, finish your dinner. Ani, go ahead and get yourself some food. I want to talk to you afterwards though."

Anakin felt his heart sink just a little. "Yes, Mom…"

She softened her gaze and gave him a small smile, "Don't worry about it. Just eat. A day of swimming must have you famished."

Anakin nodded lightly as he reached for some of the food set out on the table. "I went deeper today. I think I broke my record for how long I can hold my breath."

"Great, leveling up a useless skill." Owen rolled his eyes, "You're a prince, not an athlete."

"As if you've done anything great with your life," Anakin snapped back.

"I know my place and I stay in it." He spat back.

"Boys!" Cliegg, Anakin's stepfather, interrupted, "This is the dinner table, not the sparring mats."

"I'll just go to my room," Anakin grumbled as he finished filling his plate, then he got up and walked out, not bothering to look back. He unintentionally slammed the door on his way out.

"That kid has got to grow up." Owen muttered to himself a he turned back to his nearly finished supper.

"You can keep your thoughts to yourself, Owen," Shmi scolded.

"Yes, mother." He bowed his head in a show of respect to his stepmother and queen.

Shmi sighed, deciding she would give her son some time to eat before she went to talk with him.

 

* * *

 

Upstairs, Anakin slammed his door shut and set his plate on his desk. He was never really fond of Owen, but that night his step-brother really set him off. He knew he was very disrespectful to his mother for leaving so quickly, but he hoped she would understand.

Sighing, he flopped onto his bed and let his mind go back to the water, back to the cave and to Obi-Wan, the mer he had met coincidentally on the same day he had talked to Palpatine about the mers. Anakin had to wonder if it was really connected, but it was too ridiculous an idea to believe it was true.

About a half hour later, with Anakin still lost in thought and his food cold on his desk, the door opened and Shmi stepped inside.

"You haven't touched your food, Anakin. Are you feeling unwell?"

"I'm just tired," the prince replied, his stomach growling yet again and reminding him that he had to eat something. Instead, he just groaned and rolled onto his side.

"Something's on your mind, Ani." She said, knowingly. She had always been able to read him like an open book, even when he closed himself off.

"I just wish I was doing something more important, more exciting. Being a prince is cool, yeah, but some days… I just find myself wanting to be something else." He sat up and hugged his knees.

"Oh Ani…" She sat on the edge of his bed and looked at him, "You are so much like your father…" It was a quiet admission. One that took the prince completely by surprise as she had never spoken of his father before. She had always brushed it off as if he had no father. He assumed it was a painful memory for her.

"I...am?" Anakin gave his full attention to his mother, wondering if his father had longed to go on a grand adventure like he also wanted.

"Yes, he longed for a changed world, one like it used to be before—everything." She sighed and reached over to take his hand, "I haven't been completely honest with you, Ani. To keep you safe, there is so much you don't know…"

"That I can use magic?"

"That you aren't—entirely human…just mostly human…" she admitted, "So yes, you are connected to magic." The queen kicked off her shoes and pulled her legs up onto the bed before reaching out to grab the old stuffed bear toy she knew Anakin had hidden under his pillows. "Your father loved you, you know. Never wanted to leave us behind, but he had to…when he was discovered. He didn't want you to get taken away from me once you were finally born, so he ran and told me to lie about who fathered you."

"Wait, so I'm not fully human? What was my dad then? And why did he leave?"

"Your father was half elf." She whispered, reaching out to tuck still damp curls behind Anakin's ear, "He left because despite having had his ears clipped as a child to make him look more human, he was discovered."

Anakin sat back, eyes wide. "Magic does run in our family..." He looked around his room, finding a flower and getting up to grab it. He held it flat in his palm, and it began to float. "I can do this now. I just discovered it today."

"You used to do things like that as a baby. Without realizing it, of course. You had no control."

"Mom... Why didn't I study magic? Why am I stuck studying calculus and fantasizing about going on this big magical journey?"

"Because it's dangerous. Magic won't work for you the way it works for other humans. You are part elf, and so magic will react to you somewhat like it would for an elf. You'll be discovered, Ani, and you'll disappear like your father. We had planned to meet up again once you were born but…he's gone."

"So I can't even see him to learn just a little magic?" Anakin sighed and fell against his pillows, running his hand through his hair.

She shook her head, "But he gave you this bear. I think it's enchanted to protect you."

Anakin looked at the bear, grabbing it and rubbing one of its legs between his fingers. "I knew there was something special about this bear. I just didn't know what."

"You never wanted to leave it behind. You had to take Artoo with you everywhere, even when the other kids your age were starting to say that it was babyish."

 Anakin shook his head. "When did Dad leave?"

"You were only six months until due date… He and I had not yet married, but we had planned to once you were big enough to be our ring barer and walk yourself down the isle to Daddy's arms."

"But that never happened." Anakin sighed and leaned forward to rest his forehead on his mother's shoulder. "I wish I knew all this a long time ago."

"I'm sorry, you're all I have left, and I only meant to protect you." She sighed, rubbing his back.

"Why does magic have to be seen as dangerous? It's not fair."

"Just—be careful, Anakin."

"It's not like anyone else knows though. Just you and me. That's pretty safe to me."

"Still, be careful, Ani. I don't know what I'd do if I lost you."

"Don't worry, I'll be careful." Anakin sighed and looked out at the ocean. "I can't help but wonder though, what kinds of magic are out there? What can I do now that I know I can use magic?"

"I don't know, dear…but if you do use it—I hope it will only be for good."

Anakin nodded and looked at his cold food on his desk. "I should probably heat my dinner up..."

"Yes, please don't starve yourself." She slipped off the bed and back into her shoes, "I'm always here for you. Remember that."

"Yeah, thanks Mom." Anakin smiled as he stood up.

She moved over to him and pressed a kiss to his forehead after coaxing him to tilt his head down for her. "I love you." She hummed before pulling away to let her son eat his dinner, "Oh, and remember to work on your studies tonight. I'm assuming you cut out of them earlier."

Anakin sighed. "Yeah... I'll get on that. Palpatine won't be happy if I didn't do my homework."

She nodded and left, closing the door softly behind her.

* * *

To be continued…


	2. Chapter 2

Obi-Wan pushed forward, diving deeper and deeper into the frigid depths where sunlight couldn't reach. He hated having to live in the dark, in the cold, but that was where it was safe—at least from humans. They still had to watch out for and avoid the prehistoric creatures that ruled the deepest parts of the ocean.

He couldn't see. Something could be about to touch his nose, and he wouldn't be able to see it. That's what he hated most about the depths, and he was dearly tempted to pull out the flower in his bag to use as a light source, or even use magic to form an orb of light. But he forced himself on in the darkness, moving by memory and knowing that any light would only attract dangerous attention to himself.

Finally, he reached out and slowed his swimming until his fingertips found rough stone and he felt along it for the entry to his colony's hidden home. Finding the stone smoother than the others, he began to trace runes with his fingers while letting out a low humming chant to activate them. The runes began to glow green and the stone lifted, allowing him entrance and closing behind him.

Swimming forward and then diving down, light filled his blind vision from the mer city below. Breathing a sigh of relief that he'd made it home, he sped up again, eager to get to the magically heated waters.

The city was buzzing with life, mers racing back and forth between buildings to get to where they needed to be. The city was large in terms of space, but for the mers zipping about, it was hardly any space for them. So many mers were carrying packages or food, and there were some who simply wanted to swim around within the safety of the city. Either way, there was a lot of activity, and the city practically hummed from the language of the mers, communications bouncing off of every possible surface to create a soft song that naturally spread calmness throughout the city.

As Obi-Wan made his way back to his home, countless mers zipped past him, shouting out little greetings as they passed. It wasn't until the redhead got closer to his own home that the amount of mers passing by reduced to almost none, making the waters a little quieter for the comfort of nearby homes.

Obi-Wan slipped inside his home and reached into his bag to bring out the glowing marshbloom, which shown pure white now that it was under water. Setting it into a drawer and closing it so that the plant wouldn't float away, he moved around, looking into the other rooms to see if anyone else was home or visiting.

An older mer sat working on carving something into a shell. His long hair was tied back and flowed gently around his face while he worked, a concentrated expression on his face.

"I'm back, and I found one." Obi-Wan said, swimming in to float above the older mer's head.

"Oh good!" The mer, Qui-Gon smiled up at Obi-Wan and gently pat his face. "We'll let it sit over night, as then we should be able to use it by morning." He shifted slightly, his torn tailfins dragging along the floor sadly, catching on some pebbles and causing him to wince.

"You still haven't told me what attacked you…" Obi-Wan said sadly as he watched his adoptive father struggle to swim.

"I know… But I don't want you to worry more than you already have. It's just my tail that's injured, that's all." Along Qui-Gon's tail were scars and deep partially healed wounds that ran the whole length of the tail. Most of his fins were shredded, some smaller ones were even completely gone. He shrugged it off as a minor wound, but he had lost a lot of blood when he was attacked.

"I worry more when I don't know." Obi-Wan said, moving to help his father. "You're the only family I have left after…" he trailed off and shook his head, "You're all I have left."

"I'm fine, Obi-Wan. I can move around our home on my own, that's all I need to do until I've healed up."

"You do it too often which is why you aren't healed up yet. It's been months and you still end up bleeding at least once a day."

Qui-Gon sighed. "I can't help it, you know that. I have a hard time just sitting here at home while you go out and do all the work."

"I'm happy to do so until you are healed. You have done so much for me when I was little."

"That doesn't mean that I don't still want to help catch food and gather supplies. I want to be out there with you, but I can't." Qui-Gon shifted again and groaned in pain before he settled into a chair. "But enough about me, how was your hunt today? See any new fish?"

"Does a human count?"

Qui-Gon's eye widened. "A human? Tell me you didn't wander to the surface again. You know that's dangerous."

"Technically, he wandered under the surface. I was in one of the caves the marshblooms grow in, and he suddenly appeared."

"How did he get into the cave? Most are far too deep for humans to reach."

Obi-Wan shrugged, "He's connected to magic, but wasn't a wizard."

"Typically humans aren't wizards, they have to have some member of their family be a magic user or partial species that is a magic user. Interesting that he's connected to magic, especially in the water it seems. One of his parents had to have been a wizard."

"He didn't feel that powerful." Obi-Wan shook his head, stretching out along the floor of their home, "And he didn't even know he had a connection to magic."

"Strange. Humans must not practice magic as much as they used to. Probably for the best, and I'm glad he didn't hurt you. Hopefully you never see him again."

"He said they lost a lot of their magic. I told him it was for the best."

"You talked to him? Obi…"

"I tried to hide and he found me, so I tried to flee, but…" Obi-Wan sighed, "I know it was dangerous, but he did help me get the marshbloom…it was growing much too far out of reach and he could reach it with a little work. He helped me get it for you so…I don't regret speaking with him."

"You didn't tell him about the city did you? Are we still safe?"

"I'm not an idiot, dad, I didn't tell him anything that could risk the safety of our colony or any of the other colonies. The only harm that has been done is the fact that apparently humans think we are either extinct or a myth, and now one has seen that I exist."

Qui-Gon shook his head. "We have to be careful. The world above the water is dangerous with humans being the dominant species."

"I know, but this one felt…" he paused, searching for the right words, "It just felt like I could trust him not to attack me and use me as potion or spell ingredients. He seemed more in awe than in lust for power."

"Humans don't change easily. He was probably trying to seem friendly so he could get to know you and figure out where you live."

"Humans just take as they can, they don't risk losing a small gain for the chance at a big one."

"Promise me you'll go to a different spot to hunt next time, okay? We're all we've got. We should keep it that way to be safe."

"Hunting, sure, but when it comes to gathering magical herbs for trying to heal your tail? I need to go where they grow."

"If that human is there the next time you go, I want you to leave."

"Yes, father." He sighed, rolling onto his back and looking up at nothing, "…Still…he was rather…attractive…"

"I'd say he put a spell on you to make you think he was attractive, but that's something that humans from medieval times would do. I suppose humans have had enough time to evolve into attractive beings. Not that that means I approve of you thinking he was attractive."

"It's harmless, Dad. My thinking he has an attractive face isn't going to cause an issue. Humans still are still just leggy land-dwelling people. They don't fit into our world under the surface."

"I should hope so. I don't want you running off with some human boy."

"Impossible. I can't run." Obi-Wan grinned.

Qui-Gon smirked. "You know what I meant."

"Yes, and it's still impossible. I can't leave the ocean."

"Attraction can make a person do weird things. Be cautious."

"My focus is on making sure you heal up, not on finding a potential life mate."

"I just want you to remember that you're safer here than up there."

"I know." Obi-Wan reached out to gently touch one of the tears in Qui-Gon's tail fins.

Qui-Gon tensed up slightly, but he relaxed quickly. "It was a shark, by the way. Humans spooked it and it came after me."

"A shark? But they're so gentle with us mers…we keep them as pets… I used to play with shark pups when I was small enough for the adults to think I could be a bite-sized snack…"

"Like I said, a human spooked it and it came after me."

"I can't imagine one attacking…what did the humans even do to cause that?"

"I think the humans tried to kill it... Poor thing was just scared, and I tried to help it calm down. As soon as I started talking though, it turned on me and attacked."

"That's horrible…"

Qui-Gon nodded. "I probably still have a tooth in my tail somewhere. I tried to pull the majority of them out before I came home."

"They shouldn't be allowed to harm such a loyal creature. Fishing for food is one thing, killing sharks is another…"

"I believe the humans think that sharks are harmful, so they want to get rid of them. It's the same thing that happened with the dragons."

"Dragons weren't harmful if you let them be with their hoards, and sharks are an important part of the ocean."

"Humans don't understand how harmful they can be."

"I hate that we can do nothing to change all this…"

"Perhaps in time the humans will come to realize that what they are doing is wrong. For now, though, we just have to survive and hope for the best."

"Yeah…survive down here where the sun can't reach and we have to heat the waters we live in just to have a small amount of comfort."

"It takes a lot out of the guards. I wish I could be out there helping them again. They need all the help they can get."

"You need to stay still and heal up before you can do anything to help them." Obi-Wan told his father firmly.

Qui-Gon chuckled. "Yes, I know. You tell me at least once every day."

"And yet you never listen, you stubborn old merman." The younger mer grinned.

"What can I say? I hate sitting still." Qui-Gon stretched, groaning in pain, and once he settled, a little bit of blood floated into the water from his tail. "Oops... Can't even stretch now."

"If you sit still now you won't have to worry about it later!" Obi-Wan scolded lightly as he moved over to get some bandage wraps from a drawer.

"Sorry, Obi. You know I don't try to open my wounds again."

"I know, but I just want to see you healed up so you can return to life as normal. I know you hate being stuck inside like this." He replied, wrapping the broken wound so that the blood flow would stop.

"You're right about that." Qui-Gon stayed as still as he could while Obi-Wan wrapped the wound.

"So be a good guppy and stay still until you heal. I'll handle everything for now."

The older mer rolled his eyes with a smile. "You know what's best for me."

"Yes, I do. Now, do you need anything before I go out to get us some dinner?"

"No, I think I'm just going to take a nap now."

"Good. Hopefully there will be food by the time you wake up. And don't worry, I'll see if a friend or two will go hunting with me."

Qui-Gon nodded. "Safe and happy hunting."

"And lazy, non-stressful napping." Obi-Wan smiled, patting his father on the shoulder before heading out.

 

* * *

 

Anakin wrote down a formula for one of the problems he had to work on in his book. His mind was a bit clearer than it had been the day before, but he still found himself looking back at the ocean and wondering about the merman he had met. What was he doing today? Was he in search of more of those blooms? Why did he need them? What sort of magic did the merman use on a day-to-day basis?

Sighing and shaking his head, Anakin tried to clear his mind and think on the math problem on his paper.

Across the room sat Palpatine, taking down notes as he read through an old text with a warn leather binding and the title warn clean off the cover.

Anakin glanced up at his tutor, then he set his pencil down. It was no use. No matter how hard he tried to focus on his homework, Anakin couldn't stop his mind from wandering to the merman.

"Palpatine... What's the most recent account of a human talking with a mermaid?"

The old man glanced up at the prince and sighed, "Long enough ago where no living human can say they witnessed it happen. There are claims all the time, but there is no evidence to back it up. People just looking for fame."

"Ah... And what if someone were to get proof?"

"Then there would be some who would restart the hunt for mers. Aquarium owners who would want such a prize in their collection to bring in the crowds and their money. We, after all, can not deny the greed our race has at any given opportunity, and mers are seen merely as animals, though magical in nature."

"I don't think they're animals... They're a magical creature, yes, but not an animal." Anakin picked up his pencil again and tapped it on the table.

"Why the sudden interest in mers? More than usual, that is."

"I guess after swimming yesterday, I was a bit more interested than usual."

"You go swimming all the time." The man pointed out. "Swimming wouldn't spark such an increase in interest—unless…you saw something."

"I did break my record for how long I could hold my breath, and I went deeper than I had before, but... I didn't see anything."

"If that is the case then you should work on your mathematics. And put the fantasies out of your head."

"Yeah..." Anakin grumbled, unwillingly turning back to his homework.

"When you finish we'll move on to discussing the text I gave you to read yesterday."

As much as he hates it, Anakin forced himself to work on his homework. Finally, he set his pencil down with all the problems finished. "There, I'm done."

"Good." The man closed his book and moved around his desk to sit in a plush reading chair, "Tell me, what did you think of the material I gave you to read?"

"I, uh... Didn't get to reading any of it."

The old man gave a disappointed look, "Had you read it, you would have found it very interesting."

"I'm sorry, I hardly had time after I left to go swimming yesterday. I lost track of time and I ended up being late to dinner, then Owen got upset with me and said I should focus on being a prince, not an athlete, and... I just didn't have time." Anakin sighed and let his head fall to the table.

"Do you have it with you?"

"Yeah." Anakin reached down into his backpack and pulled out the book, reading the title as he set it on the table."

"The title is false." Palpatine stated, "Open it and you'll see what it truly is."

Anakin looked unsure, but he opened it nonetheless. Before his eyes the title of the book changed to reveal its true title. Anakin's eyes widened and he looked up at Palpatine. "This is a magic book..."

"Yes, one passed down my family's generations since the time before the war that brought upon us these rather dull modern times."

Anakin briefly flipped through the pages of the book, a smile forming in his lips. "This is amazing. There's so much about ancient magic in here, so many detailed pictures of unicorns and dragons and other magical creatures. I could spend hours going over this book."

"I'm not supposed to teach you magic…but it's clear to me that your mind is naturally drawn to it."

"Why are you not allowed to teach me magic? It's not like I have the power to do anything with it."

"The queen requested it when I began to take over your education. I am a wizard, after all."

"You are? Why didn't you ever tell me? My education could have been so much more fun." Anakin stopped flipping pages in the book when he came to a section in mermaids. His fingers rested on the page as he read a brief passage.

"I don't want the attention. The king and queen know, of course, as I'm the royal sorcerer as my family has always been for the royal family. Teaching you is just a side-job."

"Oh... So you didn't want to teach me in the first place, but my mom couldn't find anyone else."

"I didn't say that. I requested it as, lets face it, these days magic can't do much and I don't have a large work load. I wanted to feel like I was contributing more to the royal family, and so when your tutors kept quitting on you after only a few weeks…I thought maybe I could be a more stable teacher for you."

"Those other tutors were boring. I never learned anything from them." Anakin looked back at the information about mermaids in the book. "This says that mermaids like to be out in the sun to warm themselves. I don't think they can really do that anymore, which is a shame. I'd love to see one."

"If they exist, no. They would fear us too much to risk enjoying the sun."

"I want to fix what humans have done. It's not fair to the other magical creatures that have to deal with the selfishness of humans."

"That'd be very difficult to do."

"I know it would, but I feel like I'm meant to do something like that, not be the heir to a throne that means very little in a modern world."

"Well, technically, your brother is the heir."

Anakin rolled his eyes. "He was adopted into the family, he's not the heir to the throne."

"Oh, so you have claimed your birthright?"

"Well... Not really. But it shouldn't be fair that he gets the throne over me when I'm the only heir of blood."

"It goes to him if you don't step up."

Anakin shrugged and looked out at the ocean. "At this point I don't really care. I just want a different life. I don't want to be a prince."

"There was a time when magic could have given you a different life.  There are stories of ways some humans could transform—not completely, of course. Their essence would remain the same, but physically." The old man hummed, "But of course, they are old stories. They may not have truth to them. Either way, these days we don't have what would be needed to even try."

"What if, hypothetically speaking, we had the ability to access what we needed. What exactly would we need if we wanted to transform?" Anakin leaned forward on his desk, mind going back to Obi-Wan.

The man shrugged, "I'd have to do research and look in my family's library of spell books to see if I even have something along the lines of the stories."

Anakin nodded. "Right... Well anyways, since I'm done with my homework now, I'm going swimming again." The blond was up and our the door with his things before Palpatine even had the chance to respond. Anakin wanted to see Obi-Wan again, so he was going to try his hardest to find the merman again.

"Anakin," Palpatine called out after him, "don't be late for your supper again."

"I won't this time," Anakin called back with a smile on his face.

 

* * *

 

That evening Anakin arrived to dinner on time. He had not seen Obi-Wan again, but he was still exhausted nonetheless, and thus he was quite hungry. He sat down next to his mother with a smile, pausing to kiss her on the cheek. "Not late today."

"Glad to see it. How was your day, dear?"

"Good. I went even deeper in the water today. A lot of the fish started to just leave me alone the deeper I got."

"I worry about how far out and down you are going lately." Shmi sighed, "You could drown or be attacked by a shark..."

"I doubt I have to worry about sharks. They don't come around that often."

"There is always a chance that one will."

"Sharks don't attack if they don't think you're food. I'm safe, Mom."

"The ocean is more a mystery than space." She pointed out, "It's dangerous, and I don't want to lose you to it."

"You won't, I promise." Anakin grabbed his mother's hand with a smile as Owen and Cliegg entered the room.

"Good, everyone is here now." Shmi smiled, "We have a matter to discuss."

Anakin watched his stepfather and stepbrother sit down before he looked back at his mother. "Is something wrong?"

"No, no, not at all." She reassured him, "But you know, you are about to come of age. Your twenty-first birthday is only a few months away, and we do have your Ball to plan."

"Oh." Anakin sighed. "Right, the ball..."

"We received a letter from Naboo. Your old childhood friend Princess Padmé has offered to come help with the planning. I think she just misses you."

"Padmé? I haven't seen her in ages. When will she be here?"

"A couple weeks." Shmi said, "She wanted a nice long vacation to see you before she officially takes the throne."

"She's going to be queen already? Seems like yesterday that she was coming over and we played together."

"She is a few years older than you—and more mature. With her father's health as it is, she stepped up to take over ruling so that he could relax and not stress over things." Owen muttered.

Anakin shot a glare at Owen. "Well I'm happy for her then. She'll be a great queen."

"Maybe she'll be a good influence on you."

"Owen, Anakin, do you two have to do this every dinner?" Cliegg sighed.

"If Owen wasn't such an ass to me at every meal, we'd be fine," Anakin said.

"If you would just grow up—"

"Boys!"

Anakin rise out of his seat quickly, the chair flying backwards as he slammed his hands on the table. "Every damn time I try to have a decent conversation with my mom at dinner, you have to open your mouth and say some negative comment about me, and I'm sick of it!"

"I'm sick of you!" Owen hissed, "Always running off and ignoring your duties as crown prince and waltzing back in hours late as if it were nothing! You don't care! Your mother worries herself sick every time you're late because she knows you have run off to the damn ocean or forest or whatever looking for myths and fantasies!"

"I'm sorry I don't want to be stuck in a castle the rest of my life! I'll let you have the boring life, I want to make my own life exciting, and that means being late sometimes and going exploring in my free time, which is something you clearly lack of all you are about is some stupid throne that doesn't even rightfully belong to you!"

"You can't have both! Either claim your birthright and stop pulling these stunts, or give up the throne!"

"They're not stunts, and you don't even belong here!" Anakin reached out his hand, and through unwilling use of what magic he could handle, he pushed Owen back into the wall.

"Ani!" Shmi gasped as Owen pushed himself up and looked wide-eyed at his stepbrother.

Anakin's eyes were just as wide as everyone else's. He looked at his hand, then his mother, and he shook his head, starting to panic. "I... I didn't mean to do that...I promise I didn't..."

"What just…happened?" Anakin's stepfather asked.

Anakin looked unsure if he wanted to share, but he didn't want to upset his family anymore. "It was magic... But I didn't meant to use it. I had no intentions."

"Since when can you use that bullshit?" Owen gasped out in both shock and anger—and a bit of fear.

"Not until recently, I promise! I didn't know I could use magic until yesterday when Mom told me I was part elf." Scared, Anakin backed away from everyone, wanting more than anything to either go to his room or escape to the ocean.

"Part…what?"

"Apparently my dad was a half elf, so that makes me part elf, and that was enough to make me able to use magic, and I don't know how to control it. I have no teacher, my dad is gone, so I'm stuck with this magic that I can hurt someone with, and I didn't want a different life like this ..."

"Strange, I thought this was exactly what you wanted, freak. Stay away from me from now on." The brother huffed, turning to head to the door.

"This wasn't how I wanted to use magic..." Anakin backed up against the wall and slid down it to the floor, covering his face with his hands.

"Ani? Shmi took a slow step towards him.

"I hate everything about using magic right now." Anakin tried to make himself smaller, knowing he messed up.

Shmi crouched down next to him, rubbing his shoulder, "This is why I didn't want you to know…"

"You shouldn't have told me, even if I asked… I should have never gone out to the ocean yesterday."

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"The ocean was where I found out I could use magic, and then last night you told me I could use it and why. I wish I didn't even go to the ocean to begin with. I wouldn't be in this mess." Anakin sighed and stood up.

Shmi stood up with a sigh and held out her hand to her son, "Walk with me?"

"If you really want to walk with me now after what I did to Owen… yeah." He took his mother's hand with a frustrated expression, glancing briefly at Cliegg before returning his line of sight to the ground.

Shmi helped him up and then linked her arm with his before starting to guide him out so that they could speak alone.

Anakin kept quiet, not wanting to speak of the true events that happened the night previous. His life had changed so much in such a short amount of time that he felt he was in a tailspin. Everything seemed to affect him more than usual, and he didn't like it one bit. The only part he was enjoying was talking to Palpatine about mermaids, and even then, he dared not speak about the merman he had met by chance.

After a while, Shmi broke the silence, "I'm so sorry, Ani."

"It's not your fault, Mom. I didn't mean for it to sound that way. I'm just… frustrated with the news that I can use magic."

"I was trying to protect you, but I had been warned that you should be trained in magic so accidents like this wouldn't happen…but because I didn't want you to be discovered for your father's heritage…I avoided that. I wanted your father to train you, but he's gone and who else could I trust with my boy's secret?"

"Well… there's Palpatine."

"Do you think he's trustworthy of keeping your secret?"

"Considering his family has worked with ours in the past concerning magic, I do think we can trust him."

"If you believe so, then you have my permission to ask him to include magic lessons into your curriculum."

"But what good are they now if I've already used magic against someone? Owen just sees me as a monster now."

"Owen's family. He may be scared of you, but he'll keep it within the family. And you can learn so this sort of accident doesn't happen again."

"Why does he hate me so much? I don't get it. He's not even direct blood in the family but he gets upset at me when I don't do what a stereotypical prince is supposed to do. It frustrates me so much." Anakin balled his hands into fists.

"That is something only he could answer, sweetie."

"Well then I'm never getting an answer. It's unbelievable how stubborn he is about talking to me." Anakin sighed.

"I know, and I'm sorry. When Cleigg and I married, we had hoped you boys would become close brothers, but Owen just…never took well to you."

"No child of any parent wants a sibling. With Owen being so much older than me, you'd have thought he'd be more like an older brother about it. Instead he took the situation like an ass rather than a brother."

"You wanted a sibling. You were excited when I told you you'd be getting a big brother. I think he was maybe just too old and used to being a single child…"

"Cliegg doesn't seem to be doing anything about the situation. Where's he in all of this? Why isn't he stepping in and controlling his child from lashing out at me all the time? Why don't you make him help? All he does is sit and watch, maybe saying something here or there that doesn't really help anything."

"He speaks to Owen alone as I speak with you alone."

"Well it doesn't seem like he's helping very much. Why does he even bother to say anything if he doesn't do anything about it? At least you and I are talking through things, not scolding or encouraging, or whatever the hell it is that they do when it's just them." Anakin groaned in frustration, looking out at the ocean and stopping to simply look, calming himself as best as he could.

"He's trying, we're trying." She sighed.

"I know you're trying… but he's not trying hard enough."

"Ani, please. He goes off on you first, yes, but you could help, too."

Anakin shook his head and let go of his mother's arm, moving towards the window and leaning on the window sill. "I try to be a good prince, but when I'm not made for ruling a kingdom one day… it's hard to do things a prince is supposed to do. I want to go on adventures, tell grand stories about wizards and dragons and princesses locked away in towers waiting to be rescued by their princes. All of that ancient magic, it's a part of our history as humans, and we messed it all up by wanting all the magic for ourselves, and now that I know I can use magic… it's painful to have to keep it locked away from the world so no one gets hurt, including myself."

"The laws aren't fair—and they are international laws that can not be changed easily at all. Magical creatures can't be hunted, but—they aren't treated humanely, either. That's why the ones who could pass as humans pretend to be so, and the ones who can't—well, they stay hidden. If it gets out that you are part elf…even though you are mostly human, it wouldn't matter. Wherever they take the discovered magical races…where they took your father…they'd take you there, too."

"So I'm just stuck here with this knowledge, and I can't do anything about it. Great." Anakin hung his head. "Can't let anyone know I can use magic, can't help those who can, can't do anything regarding magic. What a terrible way to live."

"This isn't what I wanted for you…"

"Then what did you want for me?"

"A normal life, free from fear…"

"No life would be without fear, Mom... But it would be nice to not be afraid to show I can use magic."

"If you were all human it'd be fine, but…"

"Apparently, I'm part elf." Turning back to his mother, Anakin smiled a little. "He was at least a cool guy, right? Please tell me he wasn't a lame half elf."

"Oh, he was a wonderful man." She smiled, "I loved him dearly—I didn't want to marry anyone but him, however, being queen meant that…And Clieggg was always a good friend since childhood and… I do love him, but your father was my soul mate if you believe in that. He was so gentle and kind that deer would walk with him when he took strolls through the forest."

"Wow, sounds like he was connected to magic in forests or something. Whenever deer see me, they always run away."

"Well, most elves do draw their magic from the forests. But you are mostly human, so the element you're connected to the most could be any of them as the humans who are connected to magic are very diverse compared to most of the magic races."

"I think... I'm connected to water. It would make sense with how deep I can dive or how long I can hold my breath."

"That could be with how often you run off to swim."

"There's just something about the water that calls to me. I feel like I fit in better in the ocean than on land sometimes."

"If you weren't a prince…what would you do with your life?" she asked.

"I don't know," Anakin answered. "Maybe a marine biologist? Or a professional swimmer."

"And here I was thinking you'd say sailor." She chuckled.

"Well, maybe that too. Anything to deal with water, honestly. I love when I get to be in the water and just not worry about anything else." Anakin smiled as he once again remembered meeting Obi-Wan.

"You know…it's been a long time since we have been able to spend time together properly. So this weekend, why don't we take the boat out for the day? Just the two of us."

"That sounds like a good idea. Let's do it." Anakin nodded with a smile.

"Good, I'll make sure our boat will be ready for us come Saturday."

"I can show you how deep and how long I can stay underwater. Seems like you're the only one who's interested in my ocean adventures anyways."

"Well, I won't be able to see how deep you can go, but how long you can hold your breath is one you can show me."

"Regardless, I'm excited to show someone else."

"Just promise me when you show me that you can give me a signal so I know you aren't drowning when I start to feel it's been too long."

"I promise. It won't be an excessive amount of time, just a little longer than how long the average human can hold their breath."

Shmi nodded, "Good. Anything you'd like me to make for our lunch?"

"Honestly plain old sandwiches sound good."

"Alright. And, are you up for returning with me to eat, or do you want to take dinner in your own room again tonight?"

"I'll return with you. I don't want to spend dinner alone two nights in a row."

"Alright. Come along, dear." She said, taking his arm again.

* * *

To be continued…


	3. Chapter 3

Anakin moved to the front of the boat with a smile, feeling the ocean breeze on his face as he and his mother took their boat out on the water. The occasional splash of water made him chuckle to himself, glad to be out of the castle and away from his boring studies. Once he was at the very front, he stood up fully, as he had been mainly crouched while making his way up the boat, and he outstretched his arms while taking in a deep breath. Out here, he truly felt like he belonged.

Looking back at his mother, who was driving the boat, he laughed. "This was a great idea," he shouted over the wind.

Shmi smiled from behind her large sunglasses, her large-brimmed hat secured in place with a set of ribbons under her jaw. "Where to?"

"There's a reef close by, but the drop-off is all close. I usually make it to the drop-off when I start to dive deep. We can go a little further out though. I like being on the boat." Anakin couldn't help but smile wide, his eyes wide behind his pair of aviator sunglasses.

"Alright." She said, steering the boat accordingly. Behind them at a respectful distance another boat with a few guards followed.

Anakin glanced back at the other boat and sighed. He had hoped that he and his mother could go out without the guards, but he knew it was never going to happen.

"There's usually a pod of dolphins that swims around here. They're really friendly if we don't scare them off with the boats."

"The guards know to keep their distance unless something happens. So they should be fine in not scaring the dolphins." Shmi said, slowing the boat to a stop. "Want to drop anchor?"

Anakin nodded as he jumped down to where the anchor was and released the lever, the anchor lowering and lodging itself in the sandy ocean floor. "I don't see any dolphins around now, but we've got all day."

"That we do." She stood up and moved out onto the deck, leaning against the side of the boat as she looked up at the seagulls flying overhead. "Such a pretty day to be out."

"I'm glad the weather stayed tame for today." Anakin smiled and started taking off his shirt. "We brought sunscreen right?"

"In my bag." She nodded.

"Cool. I'm gonna put some on before I jump in the water, because I know you'll get onto me about it if I don't." Anakin chuckled as he grabbed the sunscreen, tossing his shirt to the side.

"You really should have put some on before we got on the boat." She said.

"I wanted to get out here as fast as possible. Besides, I can wait a little longer to get in the water."

"I had time to put some on." Shmi chuckled, "You woke up late, didn't you?"

"I did," Anakin admitted with a sheepish smile.

"Well, this is a relaxing day for us. You can nap if you need to."

"I doubt I will, but if I do it won't be for long, and it'll probably be after lunch."

"Whatever you wish, dear."

"There's also something I wanted to find for you today, but I don't know if I'll find it. I hope you'll like it though. It's something I think you're into."

"Let me guess, it's something you'll have to dive for."

"Yep. Last time I saw one, I didn't see another, so I may have to search for a bit."

"Well, try not to take too long. You know how I worry."

"I know you do, but I won't be under longer than I can handle. I know my limit." Anakin smiled at his mother as he put on the sunscreen.

"Yes, but I don't."

"Don't worry, I won't go deeper than I know I can."

"I'll still worry." She chuckled.

"I know you do." Anakin put a hand on his mother's shoulder. "I won't go much deeper than when you lose sight of me, how about that?"

She nodded, "Alright."

"Great."

After letting the sunscreen soak into his skin, Anakin moved to the back of the boat and jumped into the water, splashing water inside the boat. He came back to the surface with a smile and swam around to where his mother could see him.

"You be careful down there." She said, looking down at her son.

"Of course. I'll stay close to the boat. If I wander away, I'll let you know." He took in a breath and went under the surface once more, kicking his legs to propel himself away.

Around midday, Anakin returned to the boat, feeling hungry as he climbed back in with a sigh. "Do you want to get in the water any?" he asked Shmi as he sat down next to her, careful not to get water on her.

"You know I can't swim, but I'll dangle my legs into the water while we eat." She replied, getting up.

"You should let me teach you to swim one of these days. It's really not that hard." Anakin smiled as he looked out towards the open ocean, his mind wandering briefly to Obi-Wan.

"I sink like a rock, it's fine, I'm good with staying on the boat or where I can touch the bottom. Come on, let's break into the sandwiches."

Anakin got up and moved over to his mother once more, helping her get out the sandwiches and taking a large bite out of his own in the process. "The only downside to swimming is getting hungry really fast."

"You've been swimming for hours." Shmi laughed, sipping her bottle of water.

"I know, so I'm starving." Anakin chuckled as he took another large bite

"Don't choke." She moved to the back of the boat and sat down on the little deck, dangling her legs in the water before staring on her own lunch.

Anakin grabbed another sandwich and a bottle of water before joining her. "So what have you been entertaining yourself with while I've been swimming?"

"Sunbathing while reading." She hummed after swallowing, "Did you see anything new or fun?"

"Just the normal schools of fish in the reef. Still no sign of the dolphins, which is weird. They're usually around here."

"Well, maybe they will come later."

"Maybe..." Anakin sighed. "You know there are so many things out there in the ocean. Makes me want to explore it all, see what new is our there waiting to be discovered... Or maybe protect an endangered species from extinction."

"And see if mers still exist?" she guessed.

"Yeah," Anakin replied. "It'd be cool to have one as a friend. I hardly have any friends now anyways."

"You have Padmé."

"But I hardly see her anymore. She's busy prepping to be Queen while I'm still trying to get my life together on top of turning 21 soon. I don't have any other friends."

"Maybe you should get out more often—away from the ocean's fish, that is."

"Every time I go somewhere that isn't the ocean, all I get us the friendly respect that comes with being a royal. No one actually asks how my day has been or what I'm currently into. No one wants to try to be friends. It's so hard to find good friends that aren't interested in the money. I learned that lesson already."

"Anakin…" She wrapped her arm around his shoulders.

"It's fine, I'm used to it by now. Twenty years of it has made me kind of give up on finding new friends." Anakin sighed and started on his second sandwich.

"You shouldn't give up, Ani, just…be cautious."

Anakin nodded slowly. "I'll find other friends at some point, probably."

"I'm sure you will."

"I hope I will. Only having one friend is… sad."

"What about romance? I haven't heard you speak of wanting to find someone special."

"I haven't found anyone that special. Maybe I had a crush on Padmé once, but now that we've both grown up and gone on to other things, I haven't been interested in anyone else."

"Maybe you'll meet someone at your ball, then."

Anakin sighed. "I don't know. At this point, I'm not really interested. It has to be a very impressive person to get me interested again."

"Impressive how, exactly?"

"I don't know. They're respectful, but not in the royal way that's expected. They're sweet and caring, and they aren't in it just for the money. They have to prove they're in it for the companionship."

"Maybe you're into someone not—quite human then."

"Mom…" Anakin shook his head. "You know that'd never go over well."

"Your father and I would have been just fine if he hadn't been revealed. I still don't know how that happened…"

"But there are so many people out there looking for those who can practice magic. If they discover me and find out I have a significant other that isn't human, our whole family could be in a lot of trouble, and I don't want to put you through that…"

"Love is worth risks, Ani."

"I guess… I just don't feel like that would work very well unless I went under the radar completely."

"If it's what makes you happy."

"So you'd be okay with possibly not ever seeing me again? I know I wouldn't be okay with that. I can't imagine not seeing you for the rest of my life."

"You know I didn't mean never seeing me again. You're my son."

"Mom, I... I don't want to end up like Dad."

"You won't, Ani. Just keep your secrets close."

Anakin nodded, though he was clearly still against finding a significant other who wasn't a human.

With lunch finished, Anakin put more sunscreen on, and went back to the water to swim more. He intended to find the marshbloom for his mother, and if he was lucky, he'd get to see Obi-Wan again. He tried not to be too hopeful, but he really wanted to see the merman again.

"Going down again, darling?"

"Yeah, I'm going to try to find that thing I wanted to give you. I'll try not to be too long."

"Can you make a guess as to how long?"

"Depends on if I find what I'm looking for. There's a cave underwater where I can find it, and it's like an air pocket, so there's air down there."

She blinked in surprise, "Air?"

Anakin nodded. "I'll be able to breathe where I need to look."

"Well, okay, but come back as soon as you can. I still get nervous."

"I know." Anakin smiled as he dove under the water, excited as he made his way back to the cave he had met Obi-Wan at. The cave's entrance was a welcome sight to the blond, and he quickly went in. He was as for the air he could breathe once he surfaced the water inside the cave. At once he got to looking for a marshbloom.

"You're back." A curious voice stated from further back in the cave.

Anakin turned around quickly, and a smile formed on his face. "Hey."

"Hello there." Obi-Wan nodded from one of the small pools, "Were you looking for me?"

"Not directly, no. I was looking for one of those blooms you were looking for the other day. I was going to give it to my mom." Anakin walked over to the pool Obi-Wan was in. "We're having a day out on the ocean today, just the two of us."

"A fully grown marshbloom?" Obi-Wan frowned, "They are rare, and if it is to be a gift, I'd suggest leaving the full ones for those who need it, and take one of the sprouts instead."

"Would one of the sprouts survive going to the surface to be planted?"

"Not normally, but a fully grown one wouldn't either. They grow down here for a reason. The salty water of the ocean nurtures it. However, I can encase one in a globe of sea water. For as long as it stays in that globe, it will continue to live and could even bloom fully in time."

"Maybe I can use my magic to keep it in the globe... Can you help me with that?"

"It's sort of a mer ability, not a human one." Obi-Wan admitted.

"Oh... Well, I guess I won't be able to take one to my mom then. I can just tell her I didn't find one." Anakin shrugged and sat down, close to the pool but far enough away that he hoped he wouldn't scare Obi-Wan.

"You don't want my help then?"

"It's not that. I just want to keep you safe... I don't want my mom to see you."

"I don't have to go up to the surface to do it, Anakin."

"But if I can't keep it in the bubble with magic, how can I give it to my mom without her seeing you?"

"Unless you drop it on a dry surface, it'll stay in a globe. Do you really think I'd offer you a solution that would fall apart as soon as you reach the surface?"

Anakin shook his head. "So as long as we keep it in the bubble until we can get it into saltwater, it should be okay?"

"It's not a bubble, it's a globe made of salt water. Here, just watch." The mer jumped from pool to pool until he was closer and then selected a particularly beautiful marshbloom sprout that glowed a greenish-blue. Holding it out in his palm, Obi-Wan then closed his eyes in concentration. The bloom started floating and water from the pool began to raise up in delicate droplets, swirling around and forming into a small globe around the marshbloom, which glowing turned white once submerged.

Opening his eyes, Obi-Wan held out the globe of water to the human, "Handle it only with damp hands, and keep it in a dish of water so it'll stay in the globe."

"Does the dish have to have salt water?" Anakin dunked his hands into a nearby pool before taking the marshbloom in his hands.

"No, any water would be fine. You just don't want it to touch anything dry."

"Cool. Thanks for this. I'll pay you back somehow." Anakin smiled as he made his way back to water that would take him out of the cave. However, he stopped right at the water's edge and looked back at Obi-Wan. "I'm not taking something from you, am I? Like, it's okay that I'm taking this to my mom?"

"It's just a sprout. There are millions of them here. I need the fully grown ones to try and help my father heal and swim normally again." Obi-Wan reassured.

"So that's what you used the last one for? Cool. I'm glad you're helping your dad out." Anakin turned to the water again and smiled. "We should talk again. The beach by the castle is empty late at night, and I go there a lot of the time by myself. If you feel like coming tonight, I'll be there waiting."

"I'll…consider it."

"I'll see you tonight then." Anakin jumped into the water and left Obi-Wan alone once more. He hoped the merman would take him up in his offer to talk on the beach.

"…Maybe…" the mer murmured as he returned to his hunt.

 

* * *

 

Anakin finally made his way back to the surface and swam back to the boat, keeping the marshbloom sprout under the water until he came up to the side if the boat. "Hey Mom, do we have a plate or bowl or something that we can put some water in?"

"We have the cooler filled with ice water… I was getting worried about you down there."

"Worry no more. I found what I was looking for, but it needs to stay in water in order for it to survive and grow." Anakin moved around to the back of the boat and climbed back on, making his way over to the cooler. He showed his treasure to his mother with a smile. "If you want to touch it, make sure your hands are wet before you touch it."

"Ani…It's beautiful—what is it?" she asked.

"It's called a… marshbloom, I think. It needs to stay in water in order for it to grow. This is only a sprout, but it should be much more beautiful when it's fully grown." Anakin opened the cooler and gently put the marshbloom inside. "If that bubble breaks, we may not be able to save it, so I hope we have a smooth ride back home."

"We can drive the boat slower, but how is it in that bubble?"

"Well… magic? I found it like this."

"It's not dangerous, is it?"

"Not at all. I read it has healing qualities, so it should be safe."

"As long as you're sure…it is a pretty thing to look at."

"I'm sure." Anakin hugged his mother with a smile. "I think I'm done swimming for today. We can go home anytime."

"Do you want to drive this time?" she asked.

"Sure." Anakin moved to the wheel and started up the boat, then he drove them back to their dock as carefully as he could so as to not hurt the marshbloom on their way back.

 

* * *

 

The moon was high in the sky, nearly full, as Anakin made his way down to the beach. He had a light windbreaker on, the night bringing with it some cool sea breezes. As much as Anakin loved the water, he hated the sand he had to cross to get to the water. When he was dry, it was just annoying, as it was rough and got everywhere in his clothes, his hair, anything he may have carried with him to the beach. When he was wet, the sand stuck to him and seemed to never leave, even when trying to wash it off.

Anakin really did not like sand.

The beach was quiet. Anakin was the only one there, as he expected. Occasionally there was the random couple who wanted to go for a quick dive, which Anakin didn't understand why they would be on beach property owned by his family that required a pass to get onto. There were guards covering the whole perimeter, so no random bystanders would get the idea of trespassing. It seemed, though, that night that he was alone on the beach, which he appreciated. No surprise visitors would see Obi-Wan if the merman decided to visit.

Anakin settled on a rock near the water's edge. The light breeze blew his sandy blond hair around, though there wasn't much of it. It was long enough to just barely brush against his face from time to time. There on that rock, he waited, watched, listened for any signs that Obi-Wan had come.

"Are you alone?" After a while, a song of three words floated upon the waves towards Anakin, though nothing disturbed the normal flow of the surface.

Anakin straightened up, trying to see something out in the ocean. "Yeah, I'm alone," he answered, though not entirely sure his answer could be heard.

The water next to him shifted and a head of red hair popped up into the moonlight.

Anakin looked down and smiled. "Hey, glad you could come."

"Had to sneak out." Obi-Wan said before lifting himself up onto the rock next to the human.

"So did I. There's loads of guards around here." Anakin looked over Obi-Wan's tail as the merman settled on the rock. "Your tail is a lot longer than I thought it was."

"It's an average length for a mer my size. Though admittedly, I'm a bit small for an adult male mer."

"Really? That's impressive. I'm used to seeing mermaids with tails that are only as long as their torsos. It's cool that actual mermaid tails are actually long."

"We'd struggle if our tails were so short."

"I believe it." Anakin shifted so his legs dangled off the edge of the rock. "So you actually came tonight. What made you come?"

"Curiosity. Which my father would say would get me killed, but, I was curious."

"Well I have no intentions of harming you, so you don't have to worry about that. Are you still scared of me though?"

"Well I have no intentions of harming you, so you don't have to worry about that. Are you still scared of me though?"

"No, if you meant me harm, you had plenty of chances to do so."

Anakin smiled. "Cool. I was worried I still scared you, especially earlier today when I returned to the cave."

"I would have tried hiding again."

"Well, you were in those pools still. You didn't come out of them until you grabbed the sprout and made that bubble around it."

"Did you forget I hid in one of those pools the first time?"

"No, but you stayed in the pools the second time like you did the first."

"You think I'd jump towards the human popping out of the sea, so deep down?"

"...Fair enough. I was a bit frightened when I saw you the first time, if I'm to be honest, but I'm sure not as much as you were."

"Frightened? Of me?" Obi-Wan smirked, "Were you afraid of being splashed?"

"I was afraid if what was in the cave with me, because for all I knew, I was alone. Then I heard you splash and I got scared." Anakin chuckled.

"Oooo, scary water." The mer teased, flicking water from his fingertips at Anakin's face.

Anakin laughed as he tried to block the water. "I'm so scared."

"So, this is what the human kingdom looks like these days. Daylight in the windows reaching high into the sky…" Obi-Wan looked from the city to Anakin, "And you said humans have been losing touch with magic."

"Well, we have been. We use machines to build things now, not magic. All buildings are built by machines these days. It's too dangerous to not use them. Of course they're dangerous on their own if someone doesn't know how to use them." Anakin shrugged. "I've never tried to use one. Never had the need."

"You did all that," Obi-Wan gestured to the city lights on shore, "without magic? Even the bright sunlight shining out the windows? How do you get candles and…what were they called? Oil lamps? How do they glow so bright and consistently? Our records tell us they are rather dim at night…"

"Oh we don't use candles anymore. We have electricity now, so we don't need candles or oil lamps for light anymore."

"Electr—you have somehow tamed lightning? Even with magic, that's dangerous for all except the lightning races…"

"No, we didn't tame lightning. We... Well I don't know how we managed to get electricity. But think if it as a type of fuel, like oil, and not energy, like lightning. We have an endless supply of electricity, so long as the power does't go out."

"Still sounds like some sort of magic to me." Obi-Wan commented.

"We call it science. It can be complicated at times, but we depend on it daily, I guess. Humans probably wouldn't survive for very long if we didn't have it."

"Science…never heard of such a thing." The mer admitted.

"It's a human invention if I remember correctly from my studies. But all species benefit from it in some way. Well… those who let themselves out in public around humans. It's mostly elves or half elves. No one else wants to be around humans, and that makes my life suck just a little more."

"Elves walk among your kind? Without fear?" he asked in surprise.

"That's what I've heard, but they usually clip their ears, so they can look more human and fit in. My dad… he had clipped his ears, but he was found out to be a half elf, and he was taken away before I even got the chance to know him."

"You're part elf? And you were surprised to have a connection to magic?"

"I didn't know I was part elf until the day we met. I mom told me about my dad that night."

"Ear clipping…being taken away…seems to me like they don't walk freely, but live in fear. No place to hide but under the noses of the humans as a whole…"

"I want to do something about it, let the other races know that they don't have to hide, but humans are filthy creatures. We turn on our own kind just because of skin color or place of birth. Nobility look down on those in poverty, the rich don't give to the poor, humans treat minorities of their own species like other species. It's a terrible place to live in. Human privilege is playing a huge part in the reason why magical races can't exist in public."

"Humans can't even respect other humans now? What—kind of terrible place…" The mer shook his head, "Sorry, human society sounds just—disgusting."

"It is. I hate being a human sometimes." Anakin sighed and laid back on the rock, looking up at the few stars he could see through the lights of the city. "I hate even being on this planet sometimes…"

"You aren't human, you're part elf, which puts you in the same dangers your father had faced before he was taken away. And sure, you are mostly human, but you're obviously one of the good ones."

"I'm human enough to pass as one and raise little suspicion. I'm labeled as human on my birth certificate, so I'm legally human."

"Unless you use magic too much and your elf side begins to show. I don't know how humans work in all this, but I worry for you and anyone else not quite human in that human world."

"I did accidentally send my brother flying across the room the other day… But he's annoying, so he probably deserved it."

"He's also part elf, right? You shouldn't have to worry about sibling spats."

"He's actually my step brother… full human."

"Oh… then that may or may not be a problem, depending on—well, your family dynamic I guess."

"He pretty much hates me, so yeah… He may expose me, and I'll never be a prince again."

"You're a prince?"

"Yeah..." Anakin turned around. "See that castle over there? That's my home."

"How do you…don't you have guards watching your every move?"

"Usually, but I get around them a lot of the time. I've been sneaking out since I was a kid."

"Not very good at their jobs, then."

"They're good, I'm just better." Anakin smirked as he looked back at Obi-Wan.

"Their jobs are to protect you, and yet here you are sitting on a rock with a strange merman flicking scary water at you."

Anakin shrugged. "If I was in danger, I'd be yelling for help by now."

"I could drag you under long before anyone showed up." Obi-Wan pointed out.

Anakin paused before he responded. "You're not going to do that, are you?"

"If I had any intention of drowning you, I could have done so before. I'm not a killer."

"Right... So, what about sirens? I've always been told tales that they lured sailors to their deaths. Is that true, or just a misunderstanding because humans are idiots?"

"Sirens are an all female race who can not procreate on their own Their natural way to do so is to entrance a male human, seduce him, and…well, after they have what they need…they do…feast rather than set free…" Obi-Wan admitted.

"Kinda like a praying mantis then. Messy and a little creepy, but cool."

"Humans really only have to worry about them during their mating season. Outside that, they leave them alone.

"So do they just always have female babies? Has there ever been a male baby siren?"

"There is no such thing. Sometimes a male will be born, but they are always stillborn and—human."

"Ah, that's... Depressing. Too bad the males don't survive."

Sirens are meant to be female, it's simply the nature of their race." Obi-Wan shrugged, "Though they have a special ceremony for those rare sons when they put the bodies to rest in locations sacred to their kind."

"Have you ever met one before? Do they keep to themselves much?"

"I've crossed currents with them a few times while hunting. They're friendly enough to mer kind."

"But probably not to humans unless it's their mating season."

"They avoid the surface if it's not mating season." Obi-Wan confirmed. "I dated a siren once. Obviously we had no intention of mating or a truly lasting relationship, but we enjoyed each other's company and were a little closer than just friends."

"You dated a siren? Wow, how well did that go over?"

"It went fine until we decided we were ready to part ways. I was still very young at the time, not even old enough by mer law to mate—not that sirens and mermen are actually compatible. They take human mates for a reason. I was sixteen, seventeen when we parted ways."

"Have you seen her since then? I feel like you two are still friends."

"Not really, no."

"Oh…" Anakin shifted slightly. "Sorry, I guess I assumed too much."

"It's fine. Her clan had decided to migrate south. Sirens migrate often to avoid suspicion from too many men disappearing in one area. They only stay long enough for three of their mating cycles and then they move. Mating season comes about twice a year for them."

"Wow, they sure do move a lot. I don't think I could handle moving to so many different places in such a short amount of time."

"Most humans stay in one place—same as mers."

"So you've lived around here your whole life then?"

"Basically. One of our ancient cities is not far from here, though we had to abandon it when we started fleeing humans. Built a new home in a more hidden location—more dangerous. Our young aren't allowed to explore outside the safety of our too-small city we have built."

"I bet the city is still pretty, even if it's too small."

Obi-Wan shook his head, "It's nothing like our old city, and mers live so cramped there's hardly space to swim freely within the magically heated waters."

"Well, at least it's a safe spot for you to live until you can find a better place. I'm sure there's one out there." Anakin smiled.

"It…doesn't really work like that. We don't migrate, we just…put up with it."

"That's... Sad. You shouldn't have to put up with a certain spot to live." Anakin sighed. "This is why I'm torn between wanting to still be a prince, and not wanting to be. When I become king, I can start to do good for the other races. I can help them live more comfortable lives in my kingdom at least, and if I set a good enough example, change will happen."

"And…if you choose not to take that path?"

"Nothing changes but I'm happy. I'm not a selfish person, though. There's no way I could abandon the possibility of being able to change things."

"It's your choice…and we magical races…we have no hope that humans will change."

"I want to be the one who changes everything... Or at least starts the change."

"It would be nice to be able to return to our true home…"

Anakin nodded. "I want change, but it won't happen unless I do something about it. I have to stay here and be the king eventually. Otherwise… who knows what will happen to all the other races if humans don't stop the pain they are causing."

"Do you think they're ready for such a change?"

Anakin sighed and shook his head. "It may take more than one generation to change the minds of humans. But if it takes that long, I want to at least get it started."

"Well, I wish you luck on it."

"Thanks... Would you like to help? Like I know mermaids are in hiding, but if we show that humans can live with magical creatures, that might be the first step we need to take for change to happen."

Obi-Wan's tail twitched, "I'd like to, but I don't know how I could help…"

"We could be ambassadors. You and I can show the world what it's like to live in harmony with a different race, and when I become king, then we can really get things going."

"Mers don't really have any sort of hierarchy. We have our basic laws, and just…live together. Big decisions are made together as a group."

"So... You wouldn't be able to just pop up somewhere to declare that it's okay to coexist peacefully? You wouldn't get exiled or anything, would you?"

"Exiled? No, that punishment is reserved for those guilty of breaking our laws, and is really quite rare as our laws are basic, common sense laws. But that's not to say that the others wouldn't start giving me the cold shoulder."

"Well I don't want to cause trouble for you. I guess if I can find out what happened to my dad, I can maybe find other half elves to help me out." Anakin shrugged.

"And full elves. And any other races they may be in touch with still."

"As many races as I can get together. The more we have, the better chance we have of showing humans that what they're doing is wrong."

"…Why do humans hate sharks?" Obi-Wan asked suddenly.

Anakin blinked. "Uh... Well they don't know how to act around sharks, so they freak out every time there's one close by."

"So they attack them? Because they're scared?"

"Yeah... Maybe that's why so many magical species are extinct now. Humans are scared of things they don't understand."

"Humans…keep pets, right? Non-magical animal companions that can offer comfort but also maybe help with pests or hunting?"

"Yeah. Cats, dogs, birds, all sorts of animals."

"Well, sharks are one of those animals for mers."

"You have sharks as pets? That's awesome, actually. There are some humans who do like sharks, though there aren't many."

"Yeah, but…" Obi-Wan sighed, "But humans attacking our sharks is becoming a major problem. The sharks become scared and lash out…and recently one lashed out at my father when he tried to calm the shark. That's why I have been collecting marshblooms…he's pretty torn up from it."

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that… Has he been healing quickly?"

"No, my father's a stubborn idiot who won't stop moving around and reopening his wounds I'm trying to heal for him."

Anakin chuckled. "Must be a tough man to deal with."

"Very…but he's a good man…He adopted me, you know. When my biological parents…well, he took me in as his own and raised me."

"He's a good man, then. I'm glad my step dad took me in as well. I of course was too young to be worried about it, but he doesn't seem to hate me… So I guess that's a plus."

"Excuse me." Obi-Wan said before rolling off the rock and submerging in the water before pulling himself back up again. "Sorry, was feeling a little dry and stiff. Anyway, your family sounds like a nice one."

"They are, except for my brother… Can I… touch your tail?" Anakin looked up from the merman's tail to his face.

"Sh-sure…" Obi-Wan said, his cheeks flushed as he curled his tail up out of the water completely and wrapping it around the rocks they sat on.

"Are you sure? That didn't sound so sure… I won't touch it if you're uncomfortable with that."

"It's fine; really, I just wasn't expecting you to want to."

"Well… humans are curious about a lot of things they don't know." Cautiously, Anakin reached forward and ran his hand over Obi-Wan's tail. He couldn't compare the feeling to anything he had touched before. He had touched a snake, he had touched a fish, and neither of those felt like the tail of a merman.

"Is it what you expected?"

"Yes and no. The scales are… softer than I imagined, but they still feel tough, like what I imagine dragon scales would feel like."

"Dragon scales are sharp. I'd suggest caution when touching one."

"I don't think dragons exist anymore. Humans hunted most of them a long time ago."

"They exist. Maybe not fire dragons, but ice dragons and storm dragons are still out there."

"Seriously? I so want to see one now. Are they massive? Bigger than the buildings humans build now?" Anakin excitedly stood up on the rock and looked towards the city. "I had story books as a child that talked about dragons so big the blocked out the light of the sun in an area the size of a whole country."

"Ice dragons are large, yes, but storm dragons are quite small, roughly about the size of a great white shark, I'd say. But fire dragons had been the biggest breed, and the most destructive."

"I want to fly on the back of one. Riding a storm dragon might be like riding a horse actually. Oh I can just imagine the wind in my hair now…" Anakin closed his eyes and smiled wide. "That's the life I want to live. To be free to go on adventures in the skies and in the oceans, to be a prince like in the days of the ancient magic."

"A storm dragon? I wouldn't suggest it. You'll get electrocuted. When they fly their scales start working up electric charges. They can also breathe lightning, but they do create storms when they fly."

"Are there any other small dragons like the storm dragons? Has anyone every tamed one before? How hard would it be to tame one?" Anakin turned to look back down at Obi-Wan, a huge smile on his face.

"You guys really have lost a lot of knowledge when you lost strong magic, didn't you? No, there were only ever three breeds of dragons. Fire dragons were dangerous and to keep away from no matter what. Ice dragons are shy beasts who have always kept hidden in the icy lands of the far north and far south where few other species can survive, and storm dragons, while playful, are also unpredictable."

"I still want to ride one. If I wear clothing that's shock proof, I could totally ride a storm dragon."

"You'd still have to find one, first, and they are rare to find. Good at hiding."

"Where do they like to hide? Somewhere near open water, I would think. Especially warm water. Their storms would form a lot easier."

Obi-Wan shrugged, "There is a small island I have visited where I saw one on the shore, playing with a sea turtle it had caught."

"Maybe they have large territories like other animals. They go from place to place… I bet that book I have has something on dragons. My tutor gave it to me the day I met you because he noticed my focus was not on my studies. It's like he's the one who understands that I want a life that's so much more adventurous." Anakin sat back down on the rock, sighing happily.

"Then you should read it and try to learn what you can." The mer suggested, leaning back until he was laying on the rock and looking up at the stars.

"I will for sure." Anakin looked up at the moon, then at his watch. He sighed lightly. "I should probably go now. I won't get much sleep now before I have to be up for the day."

"How long before dawn?"

"A little over three hours. I didn't realize we were out here for that long." Obi-Wan groaned, "It's going to be harder to sneak back into bed without being caught." He pushed himself up.

"Sorry I kept you out so late. We'll talk for a shorter time next time." Anakin stood up and jumped off the rock.

"What, no kiss goodnight?" Obi-Wan joked.

"Oh I'm sorry, I didn't realize you wanted one." Anakin smirked at Obi-Wan.

"One is usually given after an enjoyable date." The mer shrugged with a mischievous twinkle in his moonlit eyes.

"You want me to kiss you, don't you…" Anakin chuckled lightly, a little nervously, but he climbed back onto the rock and crouched next to Obi-Wan. "Well, if you really want it… I suppose I wouldn't mind giving you one."

"I was joking, but I also won't say no." Obi-Wan said, leaning in so close their breath mingled.

"Well there's no going back now, so…" Anakin also leaned in, and as he closed his eyes, their lips connected.

Obi-Wan held the kiss, bringing one hand up to stroke through blond curls before he pulled back, "Maybe I'll see you again, Anakin." He said before rolling off the rock and disappearing into the depths of the dark water.

Anakin watched the water for a bit, a little dazed by the fact that he just kissed a merman. Eventually, he got off the rock once more and headed back home, a smile on his face as he slipped past the guards and back into his bedroom to settle in for a few hours of sleep.

* * *

To be continued…


	4. Chapter 4

Obi-Wan slowly slipped in through the small window of the small home he shared with his father and carefully closed it before moving against the floor to feel his way back to his bed, staying as low to the ground as possible.

"You're back awfully late," a sleepy voice said quietly.

"Dad…" Obi-Wan froze and let himself drift upwards, "You're uh…up early…"

"Indeed… where were you?"

"Out?"

"Out where?"

"Out…in the ocean."

"I don't suppose you were out looking for food or more marshblooms at almost dawn."

"No, just a swim…I couldn't sleep." Obi-Wan tried.

Qui-Gon sighed. "Come on, Obi. I know you don't go for a swim when you can't sleep. What were you really doing?"

Slumping, the younger mer sighed, "I did go for a swim…upwards…to bask a bit in moonlight."

"You went to the surface? Why at such an early hour?"

"Humans sleep at night. We can't go enjoy the sun, but we can enjoy the moon."

"You've never really gone to the surface just to enjoy the moon. Obi, I can't force you to stop covering up what you were really doing. However, it'll be dawn soon, so I suggest you sleep."

"Goodnight, father." Obi-Wan relaxed, relieved  that he wasn't going to be pressed. He hurried to his nest and snuggled down into it.

"When you wake up... Try to wash the human scent off of you," Qui-Gon said gently as he made his way back to his own bed.

Obi-Wan's eyes widened and he lifted his head to look over in his father's direction. "What?"

"I know you heard me. Please... Be careful next time you go outside the city."

"How do you even know what humans smell like?"

"I used to go to the surface... A lot. I had an interest in humans. Got close to one. One of the worst mistakes of my life." Qui-Gon said no more on the topic, hoping Obi-Wan would understand how worried he was.

"What happened?" Obi-Wan asked.

"Betrayal."

"I don't understand…"

"I trusted a human, and she betrayed me. I barely escaped with my life. It's better you leave the humans alone."

"Did she attack you?"

"Of course she did. She used black magic on me to take away my own magic."

"What? But…wouldn't you be dead?"

"I would have been if she hadn't realized the pain she was causing me. I left and never looked back. I hope I never see her again..."

"Dad…that's…terrifying…"

"It's why I asked where you were when you came home... I could smell the human on you, and I worried you were repeating the same mistake I made."

"I did…meet a human…the same one from before…but he's part elf, not full human."

"I trust you, Obi, but please be careful. I don't want to lose you "

"I'll be careful, I promise."

Qui-Gon nodded. "If you go see the human again, will you let me know?"

"Next time it's a planned meeting. The first two times was by chance when I was getting you a marshbloom."

"Thank you. I'll feel a little better about you seeing him if you tell me." Qui-Gon slowly made his way over to Obi-Wan and placed a gentle kiss on the redhead's forehead. "Now sleep. We both need it after tonight."

"Sorry for not telling you…I thought you'd try to stop me." Obi-Wan said as he settled back in for the night—and a good portion of the morning if he wee being honest.

"I wouldn't have tried to stop you, but I still worry much for you." Qui-Gon went back to his own bed and curled up, soon falling asleep after waiting nearly all night for Obi-Wan to return home.

Obi-Wan sighed, finding that sleep didn't come right away as his mind lingered on his father's words and the kiss he had shared with Anakin.

 

* * *

 

"Stop that sniveling." A cruel, gravelly voice snapped out as a dark cloaked figure descended down stone steps into the dark, windowless chamber deep underground. With a flick of the wrist fire leapt from his wrinkled fingertips and onto the torches lining the walls, bringing a dim flickering light to the previously pitch black chamber. "I don't come down here to listen to the annoying squawks of lesser beings."

A collective groan came from many sources as the light revealed the inhabitants of the chamber. Most of the creatures shied away from the light sources, but only one stayed in his spot chained to the wall. He was tall, taller than the cloaked figure, and his figure was remarkably built despite being chained for many, many years.

The chained half-elf glared at the dark figure, lips curling back in a snarl. "Says the human, the weakest of us all down here."

"I'm not the one in chains and cages." The figure growled, moving over to a large bookshelf as glowing yellow eyes scanned over the bindings in search of one in particular.

"You're the one who has to keep replenishing your magic by way of other magical species." The half-elf rolled his eyes and looked down at a young elf girl, no older than five years. She looked traumatized as she scooted closer to him.

"As usual, Sarben, your ignorance makes you a fool." The man took a book and let it fall open in his hands as he began flipping through the aged pages.

"Your lust for power makes you a monster. How can you hurt an innocent child? She's barely five years old, and you stole her from her family. When will your greed stop? What is your breaking point? How far will you go until the dark magic consumes your being and you can't turn back?" Sarben pulled against his chains with a scowl.

"I will restore magic as it should be to my kingdom. I don't care how many ingredients I need to collect to do it."

"It's not your kingdom," Saben snarled, his chains pulling tight against his wrists as he lunged forward. "It never has been, and it never will. My son will be your end, I swear upon my life."

"Ah yes, your son…a fool with his head in the clouds, dreaming of things that will never be."

"He has visions of a world where humans realize their follies. They are not so much like dreams, but rather a future he can be a part of. You fail to realize how powerful he is because you are merely human, and one who wasn't even born with the ability to possess magic. You stole it from another species. If this were the old world, you'd be killed for your crimes against the universal laws of magic."

"Yet here I stand, victorious and with the power promised to me. I succeeded, my sister failed. Too weak to finish the spell and killing herself with the backlash of it as whatever creature she had chosen escaped." Those sickly yellow eyes lifted to look at the half elf, "And your son looks to me for guidance. I am more of a father to him than his deadbeat half-breed of a sperm donor who abandoned his lonely human mother."

"I didn't abandon her!" Sarben pulled against his chains even more. "I loved her too much to abandon her, especially when our son was to be born. But you had to stick your nose into things that you didn't belong in!"

"What matters is what that poor woman and that little boy think—and they think you heartlessly abandoned them. Why, Your ex fiancée was so heartbroken that she didn't even tell her son he was part elf or that you even existed until very recently when suddenly his powers weren't as dormant anymore."

Sarben didn't respond. He only went back against the wall and hung his head tiredly. His eyes drifted back to the little elf girl.

The little girl looked up at him with wide green eyes, "D-does that mean my Mommy and Daddy think I hate them, too?" she asked him.

"Of course not, little Phinara. Your parents still love you very much, and I know you love them back."

"But I'm disappeared…I not home in bed with my snuggly and blankie…I miss Mommy and Daddy…"

"I know you do, sweet child. You will return to them in time. This bad man won't hurt you forever."

"I'd advise you not to make empty promises." The human hissed, moving over to a large tank of water that had thus-far remained empty.

"Piss off," Sarben hissed. "You've done enough damage to this child as it is."

"Which is why you're only making things worse for when she realizes she'll grow old here. But, you can tell her she'll soon have a new friend to talk to."

"And why is that? Planning to enslave yet another child, you sick bastard?"

"Not a child, no. This one is an adult I think. One of a race previously thought extinct, but thanks to your son, I will soon have access to at least one."

Sarben glanced at the tank if water, then his eyes widened, the clues clicking in his mind. "A mer... My son found a mer?"

"Seems that way. He's become quite obsessed with the topic, cuts out of lessons to go free-diving in the ocean, and just last night he snuck out of the castle to the beach where he sat for hours with an unknown figure that disappeared into the depths when they parted ways."

"Sounds like he's getting along well with other magical creatures then. I can't wait to see the look on his face when he sees a storm dragon." Sarben looked over at the storm dragon that was only a couple yards away from him, also chained up to the wall, but also in a cage.

She paced around as best as she could in that little cage she had been placed in. Sad gurgles came from her throat as she paced.

"You think you'll ever get to see your son again?" the man laughed, "You'll never meet him."

"Talk all you want, but I'm getting out of here. We all are, and you're going to be exposed the second we make it back outside. Mark my words on it."

"You've been saying that for years, mutt, and you have yet to show any signs of success."

"Not when you keep taking my magic from me for your sick fantasies."

"You know nothing of my fantasies. And I doubt you'd be interested."

"I'm not interested, but you're going to pay for taking magic from us all down here."

"Right." The man rolled his eyes and moved over to the half elf, reaching out to grab his hair and pull it taunt before cutting a chunk off and walking over to his work bench.

Sarben groaned, feeling magic run out of him with yet another piece of hair cut from his head.

The man sprinkled the hair into a silver bowl and added a few liquids from bottles on the shelves and got to work on mixing it, watching the hair melt as he ground the mixture into a glittering paste.

The half elf hung his head, feeling weak from the lose of magic. "You...will not win... "

"I already have won."

Sarben only sagged a little more. His strength would return in time, but the sudden draining of magic left him exhausted and too tired to talk back anymore.

The man went around, taking what he needed from each magical being in turn and adding it to the mixture until he forced the storm dragon spit a bolt of lightning into it as the finishing touch. Then he transferred it all into a container with a screw on lid and tucked it away in his robes.

Sarben managed a glare up at the human, working up enough energy to spit out one last remark. "Whatever you use that one, I hope it comes back to bite you in the ass."

"Save your energy, mutt, you'll need it if you're to survive my next big spell."

"I only hope that I do," Sarben said to himself as the man left his collection of magical races alone once more.

Phinara curled up into him, clinging to the rags he wore, "I don't like dark…" she whimpered as the torches went out with a sudden gust of wind.

"I know... Here." With what little magic he could summon, Sarben collected a ball of light in his hand, soft blue light filling the room.

"Thank you, Mister Sarben."

"Anything for you, little one... If only to make you a little more comfortable here." He moved light towards a torch and divided it up amongst the others, the light covering the whole room without Sarben needing to use any more energy.

She smiled and pulled the thin ragged blanket up to share with him as she settled in. "I hope he wrong and you see your son again…" she said with a yawn.

"I hope so too… oh, I hope so…" Sarben sighed, letting his eyes close as he started to feel tired from being exhausted of his magic.

 

* * *

 

"Anakin." Palpatine's voice cut through his daydream, making him jump as he realized he had been staring out the window at the ocean—again. "I need you to pay attention. This is a subject you should be interested in seeing as your mother has changed her mind on you learning a little magic. Safety is key here, you know."

"Sorry… I'm listening, I just was distracted for a little bit." Anakin turned his body to face back towards Palpatine, giving the older man his full attention once more.

"Just what is out there that holds so much of your attention lately?"

"Oh, uh… nothing really, just the freedom of being able to swim and not worry about anything, I guess."

Palpatine gave him an unconvinced look, "We both know it's more than that, my prince."

Anakin blinked. "I don't… know what you mean."

"I think you met someone out there on the waves recently. Someone special that has captured your attention. Perhaps a young woman with a ponytail and a surfboard?"

"No, I... Don't really swing that way, actually."

"Okay, so a young man with killer abs and a surfboard."

"I haven't found anyone," Anakin grumbled.

"You know, I was once a young man like you. I know the signs of being infatuated, and you, my dear boy, are just that."

"No I'm not. I'm not seeing anybody. There's hardly anyone around for me to be interested in…"

I didn't say you were seeing them, but there is nothing wrong with having a crush on someone you have met that shares the same passions and maybe doesn't know who you are and you know won't just use you for your status or money."

"I don't have a crush on anyone. Besides, there's hardly a person left in this world who wouldn't be with me just for the money."

"There are some, and you do have a crush, even if you don't realize it yet." Palpatine sighed, leaning back in his seat, "You can talk to me, you know."

"I feel like this is something I should talk to my mom about, not you."

"More your father, but your stepfather, I know is…not nearly as close to you as he should be."

"Right… Well I'm still not interested in anyone, so you can stop trying."

Palpatine sighed, and seemed to give up at first before, "He's not human, is he?"

Anakin slammed his pencil down on the table, his face flushed red. "Can we get back to my studies please?"

"It's good that you wish to protect him. Those magical race camps are not…well, their freedoms are greatly leashed in those places…"

"He's not my boyfriend, or anything even close to that. We hardly know each other. We just met a week ago."

"And yet you're protecting him from losing his freedom. That makes you, at the very least, a very good friend to him."

"We'll, he is a friend… But I still don't know him that well, and I really think we should change the subject."

"I won't say a word to anyone." Palpatine smiled, "Now, we were just getting to the chapter that explains the difference between sirens, mers, and selkies, though only sirens are believed to still exist."

"Of course we were... Maybe we can move on to dragons instead."

"Of course, but you should learn about sirens. They are dangerous to human men like us. Gay or not, their songs can entrance you. And with how much time you spend in the water, well…" the man trailed off as he flipped forward a number of chapters, "Here we are—dragons."

Anakin sighed, trying to focus on dragons rather than Obi-Wan and all the merman had told him about sirens. "Fire dragons are extinct, ice dragons like to hide, and so do storm dragons. Storm dragons are the smallest species."

Palpatine looked up, surprised, "That is correct. I'm impressed, my boy. Have you been reading ahead?"

"You could say that." Anakin picked up his pencil again and started doodling on his paper. "Storm dragons are about the size of a horse, and they live mostly on desserts islands or around coasts where there is warm water for them to generate storms with. Their bodies become highly electrical once they take to the skies."

"That's right. They also primarily eat fish and small rodents. Sometimes house cats and small dogs may end up on the menu if they are unlucky, but anything larger than that are safe from becoming a snack."

"If you had the right materials, you could theoretically make clothing that is shock resistant, therefore enabling you to ride a storm dragon."

"Perhaps…but it's unrealistic that anyone would get a chance to try seeing as dragons are a wild creature, not one ever successfully domesticated in known history."

"I want to find one, be the first to domesticate one."

"That's quite a goal. One to make your mother worry."

Anakin shrugged, his doodle becoming a more fleshed out drawing as he spoke. "I think it'll make the world see that we don't have to discriminate other species. We're all equal, and the humans need to see that."

"There is much humans need to realize." Palpatine agreed.

"Everyone should be living out in the open where they don't have to fear humans. Hell, how humans ended up on top baffles me. I mean, by nature, humans can't use magic. It's only through years of species mixing that some have the slightest ability to use magic. There's no other way a human can use magic on their own."

"That's not quite true. There is a way a human not born with magical talents can gain them, but it's very dark magic, it costs the life of a magical being, and it requires up-keep taken from other naturally magical beings. Ghastly, yes, and illegal by the laws of magic, but still there have been some who have done it in the past."

"Dark magic us the worst. Whoever decides to get involved in it deserves whatever backlash they get from both the magic and the rest of society." Anakin put his pencil down, sighing as he looked over the simple drawing of a merman sitting on a rock.

"Be grateful that dark magic was lost to human kind when we lost so much magical knowledge and abilities."

"I'm glad humans lost most of what they knew. They didn't need to ruin the world with dark magic any more than they were already." Anakin doodled in a little figure of himself sitting next to the merman.

"It would have been better if they had stayed away from dark magic and resisted the lust for power. Things could have stayed the way they had always been before. Imagine where we'd be today. With magic and science making this world we live in, and the vast variety of beings living in all cities and towns."

"Several species wouldn't be extinct..."

"Very true. And if humans were still friends with those creatures or races, we'd still have magic we could only do with gifts from those friends. Such as a mer's scale or a unicorn's hair. They used to gift witches and wizards such things so that they could perform more powerful spells to help others. For example, a unicorn's hair could create a spell powerful enough to heal or cure someone on the very verge of death. Of course it wouldn't work of someone dying of old age, but illnesses and injuries, it could." Palpatine stated.

"But now unicorns are gone, so we don't have access to that power anymore. Probably for the best anyways."

"For the best? Anakin, Unicorns are now gone from the world, and with them, all the good they did. They were creatures of pure light, and the only thing that could fight dark magic."

"Humans should understand that what they have done is wrong. They need to learn from what they've done, learn that they're destruction of unicorns caused them to lose one of the most powerful magic sources of all time." Anakin set his pencil down with a sigh.

"Yes, but you don't hope that somewhere there may be one survived unicorn so that the species isn't extinct?"

"Well of course I hope there's still one out there. If there's one last unicorn, there's hope the species can grow again. But humans are the ones who hunted them to extinction, they're the ones who need to learn the lesson that they shouldn't meddle with dark magic."

"You know, as obsessed as you seem to be with dragons rightnow…your mother had been obsessed with unicorns. Always talking about wanting to at least catch a glimpse of one in the forests where she so often ran off to as a girl."

Anakin looked up with wide eyes. "Really? She was like me?"

"Oh yes, in fact, she keeps trying to change the laws of this kingdom to be a safe, open place for the magical races to live without fear of being sent to those camps. But seeing as the royal family is more a symbolic figure than the head of government as it used to be, she struggles with it. Elected officials hold the true power for making such changes."

"If I had known, I would have been trying to help her." Anakin sighed heavily. "I get that she wants to protect me, but when her goals are the same as mine, what's the point of trying to protect me?"

"You are her greatest treasure, my boy. She wants you safe, and magic isn't always safe. Her wish for the kingdom and her wanting to protect you are not conflicting ideas."

"But I can help her if our goals for the kingdom are the same. I don't understand why she hasn't told me…"

"I think that is more connected to feelings of…shame. She hasn't been successful at all, and that fact has been hard on her."

"Well that's because no one is helping her. If she had someone helping, she'd be more successful."

"Maybe, but maybe not."

Anakin shook his head. "Doesn't matter, I guess. Humans will never change, will they? Typical of them…"

"We don't change easily, no. Stuck in our ways and disliking of anything new or different."

"I wish it was easier to convince humans." Feeling lost for anymore words, Anakin looked back outside, watching families play on the beach and in the water.

Palpatine nodded and sighed, "Come now, we're getting off-track with your studies. Let's return to this chapter on dragons."

Anakin nodded, looking to his paper once more. He found it was getting harder and harder for him to focus on his studies and keep Obi-Wan safe at the same time.

* * *

To be continued…


	5. Chapter 5

"Ani!" a feminine voice called out before the prince found himself being tackled into the sand of the beach outside the castle. His childhood friend Padmé grinning down at him with a playful glint in her eye. "And don't you complain about the sand in your clothes! You deserve it for not being there to greet me when I arrived!"

Anakin's eyes were wide as he went down in the sand, but as soon as he saw who had tackled him, he smiled wide. "Padmé!"

She grinned and sat back so he could get up. "It's been too long. I've missed you."

"I've missed you too." Anakin chuckled as he threw his arms around Padmé, hugging her tight.

"How have you been? Getting into trouble? Drag racing down the streets at night?"

"I really don't drag race as much as I used to, believe it or not. I've taken up swimming more recently, and diving. I do dive pretty deep sometimes…" Anakin shrugged.

"Looking for sunken treasures?" she pushed herself up and shook the sand from her skirt before offering Anakin a hand.

"You could say that." Anakin took her hand and pulled himself up.

"Find anything interesting so far?" she asked, linking their arms and guiding him into walking with her along the beach as they caught up.

"A cave that's pretty deep, but it rises up enough to where it makes an air pocket, so I hang out down there and listen to the ocean. It's pretty serene actually."

"That sounds lovely, but dark."

"It's actually not dark down there. The plants have bioluminescence and the water almost seems to glow. It's really… magical."

"Maybe you can show me sometime before I go back home."

"I'd love that." Anakin sighed. "So how long are you here for?"

"Until shortly after your ball. It's my last big vacation before I officially take over as queen."

"Are you excited to be queen?"

"Yes, but also nervous. It's a big responsibility as my country is still a true monarchy. I'll be making all the big choices, popular or not with my people…"

"I wish sometimes that'd be the case here… I have so many plans and ideas I want to get out to the public, but since my royal status means nothing to the government, I can't really do much."

"You can make proposals."

"At the very least, yeah, but there's no telling what the government will think of my proposals. It's not like I have any real power over them."

"True, but if you can get the people behind your proposals it could sway the vote your way."

"See, that's where I'd have trouble… because most of my ideas involve species other than humans."

"You don't agree with the magic camps, do you?" she guessed.

"Of course I don't. I have even more reason to dislike them now. I found out my biological dad was a half elf. He ended up clipping his ears so he couldn't be detected, but he was still found out anyways and taken away to one of those camps before I was even old enough to remember him being around."

"That's horrible, Ani." Padmé frowned, "Naboo is working on becoming a safe country for races like elves to live freely. We have been working for a long time to change the general population's opinion on the matter so that it will be a safe place when we pass the new law. We also just have to figure out how to make it work with the international laws for magical race so-called protection."

"I want my kingdom to be safe for everyone, but that's going to take a lot of work, and I'm not sure my lifetime will allow me enough time to make my kingdom safe."

"Maybe when the world sees Naboo's new policies work, it'll path the way for others like your country to do the same."

"I hope so. It's high time other races and species get the same rights and protections humans do." Anakin sighed, kicking a rock to the side. "You know, it's weird to think of myself as part elf. I grew up a human. Nothing about me looks elfish, so I never raised suspicion until I discovered I could use magic."

"Well, you do have very nice hair." Padmé said, "Maybe it has some elf magic in it as for elves, their hair is a bit of a magic source or whatever. You always hated hair cuts."

"Yeah, I'm still not too fond of them. But I also can't believe that my mom hid from me the truth about my dad. I mean I understand why she did it, but it hurts still that she never bothered to tell me until I showed her that I could use magic."

"I don't think I can say anything about that, Ani, but I hope you get to meet your dad one day."

"If he's still alive, yeah," Anakin said with a sigh.

"Camps are designed to keep the magical races safe from being killed—but they strip them of the freedom to leave or send out messages. Elves and half-elves lives for close to a thousand years, naturally. I'm sure he's alive."

Anakin shrugged. "I like to think he is… but face it, those camps have more going on than we see on the surface. They're containment camps. Humans run them, and humans are the nastiest creatures alive."

"I agree, which is why my father started working towards making our country a safe place for those people—and why I'll finish the job once I'm crowned queen."

"I'm glad someone is at least trying to make things right. I felt like I was the only one with this goal."

"You aren't. The royal family of Alderaan is also working towards this goal. Queen Breha contacts my father a lot about it and we have been sharing information on progress. I'm sure we all can help you as much as we can as well."

"We could sure use the help here. It seems like no one around here is interested in helping and races that aren't human."

"I'll make you up a list of how my father started swaying popular opinion on the subject." Padmé promised, "Getting the people on your side is the first step."

Anakin smiled. "Thanks. Even with others on my side, we'll still need all the help we can get."

"We'll make things right for the future." She promised, "And reunite the families that have been wrongly separated."

Nodding in agreement, the prince smiled. "Eventually the world will be right again."

"It's time that we humans start making things right and give the others back what has been taken from them."

"Padmé…" Anakin stopped walking, pulling his friend to a halt with him. "I have something to tell you. You have to keep it a secret, because no one but me knows about it. Can I trust you?"

"Anakin, I'm still keeping it secret that you were the one who stole two dozen cookies from the kitchens for our picnic tea party when you were seven."

Anakin chuckled. "They never found out why they lost two dozen cookies suddenly." He sighed and looked at the ground. "My secret… is really the secret of an entire race. Mermaids… are still around, and I'm friends with one of them."

"A mermaid? Really?" his old friend looked excited. After all, as children when they would go swimming, even if it was in a bath tub, she would pretend she was a mermaid princess treasure hunter collecting precious pearls from the sand. Said purls were always just little rocks and shells they could find, but the power of a child's imagination was great. "Is she as pretty as we always imagined? As the pictures in books?"

"Well, he is actually a merman, and yeah… he's pretty…"

"Oh—yeah," her face colored red, "I forgot they come in boy form, too…as a kid the entire race just seems so…feminine. Doesn't help that we lost a lot of knowledge about them when they were thought to be extinct… children's stories always only show them as girls."

"Yeah, mermen exist as well. He's been the only one I've seen, but he's told me so much about his kind, and other races that are like mermaids… or I guess he calls his race mers. Makes more sense to use the term 'mers' to classify both mermaids and mermen."

"That does make sense—does he wear pearls? Do you think he'd want to meet me?"

"I'd have to talk to him about it. He might not mind since you're my friend, but I don't want to scare him again. He was pretty terrified of me when we first met."

"Well, I can't blame him. I'd be scared too if I wasn't human in today's world and a human suddenly shows up in my space."

"I actually found him in that cave I told you about."

"That's even more terrifying." She laughed, "You should be less scary to the guy."

"I am now that we've gotten to know each other better, but I'm the only human he's gotten close to. I hope he can handle a second human."

"Well ask, if he says no, then I'll stay away when you plan to meet with him."

Anakin nodded. "If he's cool with it, I think he'll like you."

"I think it'd just be amazing to be able to swim with a mer."

"I think it would be too. I.. haven't really swam with him except for the first day I met him. He's really fast, like unbelievably fast."

"You tried to race him, didn't you?"

"No, he just took me back to the shore after I realized I was late for dinner that day."

Padmé was quiet a long moment, wind whipping her hair around as her mind ran with that information, "…Are they bigger than us? Like, you rode his back?"

Anakin shook his head. "He held me in his arms and carried me. He's about the same size as a normal human, but his tail is long."

"And what was that like? Having strong male arms holding you close?" she asked knowingly. After all, at one point they had tried kissing—and things were realized between them.

The prince got a little flustered. "I mean, at the time I was just focused on holding my breath while we swam so fast, but… it was nice…"

Padmé chuckled, "No luck in finding romance yet?"

"Well… I did kiss him the other day…"

"Wait, you mean the merman?" she asked in surprise.

"Yeah, who else would I be talking about?"

"Well, I was asking in general, so—anyone, really."

"Well, yeah… I kissed a merman."

"Well, excuse my language but holy shit."

"You're telling me. We were just talking and decided it was time I went back to the castle, and he joked and was like 'What, no kiss goodnight?' and then we kissed."

"He actually initiated it like that?"

"Well, he asked that, we kinda joked about it a little, and then it just kinda happened."

"I think he likes you." She teased, nudging him.

Anakin rolled his eyes with a chuckle. "I suppose it's possible."

"Why else would he kiss you?"

"To... Experiment?"

"Just because that's why you and I kissed, doesn't mean a—what I'm assuming is an adult merman, would be experimenting."

"Well I kind of consider it experimenting. I mean, I've never kissed a merman before, so it'd be experimental anyways."

"But is it really? He's male, and you already know that females aren't the ones that do it for you. And the part of him you kissed is pretty human-like. It wasn't like kissing a dolphin."

"Maybe it tasted like that..."

"…Did it taste like that?" she asked, her nose wrinkling.

Anakin shrugged. "A little salty, but not overwhelming."

"Not fishy then?"

"No, not really. Just... Lightly salty and oddly soft."

"So I guess the real question is…would you do it again?"

Anakin took a moment, but eventually he nodded.

"Do you want to do it again?"

"I think it's safe to assume that if I say I would do it again, I want to do it again."

"Not always. For example, I would kiss you again if I had to, but I have no desire to kiss you again."

Anakin shrugged. "I guess you're right. But in terms of kissing him, I say I would do it again, therefore I want to," he clarified.

"Fair enough." She grinned.

"You know… I haven't really told anyone that I'm gay. I just feel like… not that it's not safe, but that it's not important when it comes to my future. Since I'm next in line for the throne, I'll be expected to have kids, thus a wife, a human one at that. But instead I'm gay and I have a slight crush on a merman…" Anakin sighed and shook his head.

"You could adopt, you know."

"I know, but there's still that pressure. Even if the royal family here doesn't actually run the country, heirs are still expected."

"Bah, marry for love. You deserve that much."

"Okay, well I'm not quite to the marriage stage of thinking yet... but you are right. Marriage should be out of love, not just to have children and bring peace."

"You'll know when you're ready and have met the right person."

"I sure hope so. Romance is already hard enough for me."

"Trust me. You will."

"You seem really sure, almost as if you know me so well," Anakin said with a smirk, knowing full well that Padmé did know him very well.

"I am your best friend." She giggled.

"That you are. So are you settled into the castle yet, or did you rush to find me on the beach just so you could tackle  me without me knowing?"

"I'm letting others handle my bags. I came to hunt you down."

"Well, what do you say we head back and see if your bags have gotten to your room?"

"I suppose we should."

"Then let's go. I'm sure my mom is excited to see you." Anakin held out his arm for his friend to take, allowing him to lead her back to the castle.

"Oh, I'm sure she'll be happy to see me again."

"She hasn't seen you since the last time I saw you, so yeah. Plus you can talk queen stuff now."

"And about you." She giggled.

"Yes, about me as well." Anakin rolled his eyes with a smirk. "You and my mother sure do like to talk about me a lot."

"Well, we're fond of you."

"I can tell… and I'm glad at the same time. I really don't have many friends outside of you guys and my new merman friend."

"Well, good luck with the merman, however you two end up."

"Thanks. I hope we at least stay friends, but… I wouldn't be opposed to going further. All in time, I guess." Anakin shrugged.

"Smitten Ani." She giggled.

"Listen, he's a merman. How can I not be interested in seeing how our relationship goes? As far as the rest of the world is concerned, any relationship with a mer is one to treasure."

"Honestly, I'm surprised you have his trust. But nevertheless let's go inside and catch up with your mother."

Anakin nodded, practically skipping up the steps to the main gate and front doors, a wide smile on his face, and for good reason. He was seeing his best friend for the first time in quite a while. He had all the reason in the world to be happy that day, even if the ball for his 21st birthday was right around the corner. In all honesty, he was not looking forward to the ball, for it was likely he was to start taking an interest in someone to be queen while he was king, but he secretly hoped there were at least a few princes there to also pique his interest.

Part of him wished Obi-Wan could attend the ball.

Sighing, Anakin shook his head and made a beeline for the gardens, where he knew his mother would be. At least he didn't have to think too hard on finding a partner quite yet.

 

* * *

 

 

Obi-Wan smiled to himself as he pulled back two braids he'd weaved into his long hair and fastened them with a large pearl that had been carved into a bead. He often made sure he was well groomed, but taking extra steps to look good wasn't something he did unless he was attending a special event.

"You're awfully dressed up to go nowhere," came a teasing voice from behind him. One of Obi-Wan's friends, Luminara, rested behind him, smirking.

Flushing lightly, Obi-Wan shrugged it off, "Sometimes I like to look nice."

"Only when someone catches your eye. You never wear pearls any other time."

"That's not true. I wore some on my father's life day."

"Okay, that was the only other time besides when you were head over heels for someone. So who's the lucky mer this time? Or is it another siren?"

"I'm not interested in any mer, and as fun as it was to have a fling with Satine, a siren isn't exactly the life-mate I'd be interested in."

Luminara sighed and swam to be in front of Obi-Wan. "Then who's caught your eye? Don't tell me you're into dolphins now."

"Don't be silly, Lumi, I just feel like looking nice today."

She crossed her arms and pretended to pout. "Come on, Obi. I know you. You never get like this just because you feel like looking nice."

"Sure I do, today is proof of that. Come on, we were going out."

Luminara's expression turned to surprise. "Oh… well you should have said that instead of led me on to believe you were in love again." She laughed as she grabbed his arm.

"Even if you searched the ocean, you wouldn't find a mer right for me." Obi-Wan sighed, moving along with her as they left the hut and stared swimming upwards to the secret entrance to their crowded hidden city.

"Now don't say that. I'm sure there's someone out there. Who knows, maybe they've been right under your nose the whole time."

"I doubt it. My luck with finding someone just hasn't been…great. I don't like being used and then abandoned. The mers I attract all seem to only humor me until someone better swims along.

Luminara sighed. "I know you've struggled, and maybe you'll just be one of those old mers who ends up with no mate, but I don't want to see you be lonely the rest of your life."

"Maybe I need to look elsewhere…" Obi-Wan said with a lowered voice as he activated the entrance so they could swim out into the dark depths and make their way upwards to where the sunlight could reach them. "…like maybe on land…"

"On land... Like an elf?"

"Yeah, like an elf or something. I know it's risky to go up there, but…"

Luminara shrugged. "You can't help who you love… but I'd be wary of humans. You know they can be nasty to other races."

"One nearly killed my dad, I know." He sighed.

"I just want you safe when you go out pursuing a love interest."

"You know…humans for the most part think we're extinct."

"I know. Maybe it's safer that way… but maybe a little curiosity never hurt anyone. What would the humans do to us if they found out we were real? Do they use magic anymore?"

"Yeah, but not like they used to…unless they steal magic…"

"They steal it? Why are they doing that? That's so unfair to the other races!"

Obi-Wan shrugged, "Dad said that's how he almost died. A human tried to steal his magic."

"Humans are nothing but selfish creatures. They think they can steal whatever they want and get away with it." Luminara sighed and shook her head.

"There are some good ones…there has to be. After all, there are still half races. Half elves and such."

"Those aren't fully human, so I'll let it slide with them, I suppose… but humans will do nothing but hurt you if you fall in love with one. Choose wisely when you look for a mate, Obi."

"I mean, they have a human parent so that parent has to be good, right?"

"I guess... But I don't trust them fully. They're still human."

Obi-Wan paused and sighed as they continued their swim upwards, "I met one."

"What?!" Luminara pulled back with wide eyes.

"I was in one of the marshbloom caves looking for one for father's injuries and he just…showed up down there. I tried hiding, but he found me."

"Oh my god, did he hurt you at all? Did you fight back?"

"He didn't touch me. He just stared at me."

"He… stared at you? That doesn't seem like something a human would do."

"He seemed in awe of me, like he couldn't believe his eyes. When I realized he'd frozen in place I tried to make my escape past him, and made it from the pools of water in the cave and into the main water where I could slip safely away. I guess he unfroze when I did because he called out after me. He wanted to talk and respected me by keeping his distance, so I did stay. He's connected to magic because he was able to understand me."

"Odd… humans don't usually have the power to understand us unless they steal magic… or they're born connected. I'm guessing he was born with it, since I can tell you trust him."

"He told me his father was a half elf. So he's mostly human, but still…he's not all human. His magic comes from his elf blood. He showed up a second time in the cave when I was there, and after that I met with him a third time, only it was a planned meeting."

"So you've only met the guy three times, but you're already falling for him? Dang, Obi, sounds like you're desperate." Luminara smirked.

Obi-Wan felt his cheeks heat up, and he was grateful for the low visibility of the depths they were still in. "I didn't say I was falling for him! What gave you that idea?"

"The pearls, Obi-Wan. We've gone over this already."

"And why would I wear pearls to impress him and catch his eye when we are not going up to the surface to see him?"

"Because you think there's a chance we might see him when we get to the surface."

"Don't be silly, we could be seen if we went that far up."

"But you'd go that far up if it meant there was a chance for you to see him."

"I'm not going to put our entire people in danger just for a chance to see a…legged….land dweller…with nice hair."

Luminara laughed. "You are head-over-tail for this land boy."

"…No?" he said, his tone lacking what it needed to convince his friend.

"Yes you are, and I can prove it. You took a little too long when you were describing the physical appearance, you tone of voice is flustered, and, again, the pearls."

"The pearls he won't even see on me today, and even if he did somehow see them, he wouldn't know anything about what pearls mean to us mers. They are hardly to impress him…they are just…for me today."

"If you say so. But I'm still going to think you wore them for him, even if he's not familiar with their meaning."

"It's not that it matters either way. It's not like we could realistically be together even if we were interested in each other."

"Well... Technically he isn't a human, so it's possible that it could work out."

"Oh yeah, sure, him living on land and me in the water would be a great way to be together as life-mates."

Luminara shrugged. "Just saying it's a possibility."

"We live in separate worlds, Lumi, he can't breathe in mine, and I can't move in his. Pursuing anything with him would just be a bad idea."

"Then why are you even interested in him if you know it won't work out? You confuse me, Obi."

"Because, he's attractive and kind and happens to be a good kisser!" Obi-Wan said, finally just giving in and admitting to the attraction he felt for the mostly-human he had met.

"So you do think he's attractive! Took you long enough to say it, jeez."

"Never said he wasn't attractive…"

"But you admit it now, plus you said he's a good kisser. That's quite a bit to reveal about your feelings towards this land boy."

"It was just one kiss…as we parted ways last time we saw each other."

"So you'd kiss him again then?"

"Well…yes." Obi-Wan admitted, slumping his shoulders, "I like him…which worries father, of course…"

"Well yeah… but does he know the land boy isn't fully human?"

"I think I mentioned it to him after he found out I snuck out one night to see him?"

"And your dad is against it?"

You know my dad, he'd never forbid me from doing things now that I'm an adult, but he did heavily caution me, and wants me to tell him whenever I have a planned rendezvous with him up there."

"I guess that's a step in the right direction for him…"

"He can't be overprotective when I'm an adult that can make my own choices and face the consequences of my choices."

"At least he's not scolding or lecturing you. By the way, how is his healing going?"

Obi-Wan groaned, "The stubborn bastard won't stay still long enough to heal properly, and the caves are running out of fully developed marsblooms. He'll have to heal without its help if he doesn't start staying still, and then he'll end up with permanent damage that will affect his swimming."

"You know it's hard for him to stay still. Maybe you can coax him into some naps each day and just apply the medicine then when he's sleeping."

"I've tried that, he hates naps more than a five year old who think they are too old for nap time… He's a hunter and protector, and he isn't happy unless he's out here with his hunting spear."

"You were the last mer he took into his family, right? I understand that he wants to protect you again... But maybe you can put him to sleep. Enchant him or something."

"After grandfather disappeared and my brothers moved so far away, yeah, I'm all he has left. But I'd trust you more than me to enchant him into a nap. I never really studied medical enchantments like you have. I might end up accidentally cursing him to sleep for years."

"I can do the enchanting if you prefer that. I have no problem with it."

"Please, I don't think I will be able to find another marshbloom, and the most recent one is almost gone."

Luminara nodded. "Just let me know when you need me to enchant him. Hopefully it'll work since he's so stubborn."

"We'll do it when we get back tonight." Obi-Wan decided, "Set him up with some dinner, then put him to sleep to heal with the marshbloom ointment."

"Sounds like a plan. Let's just hope he doesn't suspect we're up to something."

"That's the hard part of the plan." Obi-Wan chuckled.

"We'll hold him down if we have to. He needs to heal up."

"And he won't be happy until he is healed up." Obi-Wan nodded as they started entering the warmer waters the sunlight could actually reach. "Finally…warmer waters." He smiled.

"It's been so long since I've been up this far... it feels so good to be in warmer water again."

"Well, naturally warmed waters, and not magically heated like we have in town. It's still not as warm as up here."

"Of course. I can't wait to see the sun again."

"We can poke our heads up if there's no boats around."

Luminara nodded, a big smile on her face. "Want to race to the surface?"

"Alright, but a boat means the race is off." He agreed.

"Got it!" With no other warning, Luminara took off, rocketing towards the surface with a laugh.

"Cheater, cheater algae eater!" Obi-Wan laughed, taking off and building up speed as quickly as he could to close the distance between him and his friend.

"You're so slow! Did you forget how to swim when you met that land boy?" Luminara laughed again as she picked up speed.

"You forget how to play fair after babysitting your little sister for so long?" he called back, pressing forward even more as they rocketed upwards.

"I've never played fair with you, you should know that!"

"You did when we were little!"

"Not so little anymore now are we?"

"No, we're getting old." He laughed.

As they approached the surface, Luminara slowed, listening for any nearby boats. Hearing none, she smiled and sped up just enough to let her head and shoulders pop out of the water.

Obi-Wan was right behind her at a faster speed, causing him to leap from the waves and splash back down.

Luminara laughed. "Beat you. And there's hardly anyone around, so win-win for me."

"I would have won if it were a fair race."

"It was mostly fair."

"You had a head start."

"Only a tiny one."

"And you won by a tiny bit." He splashed her playfully.

She splashed back with a giggle, then she sighed and closed her eyes, turning her face towards the sun. "I miss this..."

"I wish we could find some nice rocks to sunbathe on…but those are always too close to humans."

"Unfortunately, yes. Maybe we can find some that are not too close?"

"It'd be risky, are you sure you want to do that?"

"Well if there's no one around, I think it'll be fine. Besides, we may see your boyfriend."

"He—he's not my boyfriend." Obi-Wan flushed, "And we'll need to stay alert in case humans do show up."

"I'll keep a look out, you just focus on finding your boyfriend." Luminara smiled as she went back under the water, heading towards the shore in search of a rock.

"He's not my boyfriend, why are you so interested in him? It's unlikely that he'll just happen to be around wherever we end up sunbathing." Obi-Wan said, following behind her.

"You never know. Besides, if he's around, I want to meet him. Gotta make sure he's treating you right."

"He's not my boyfriend!" We have had no discussions of potential dating." Obi-Wan insisted.

"You've kissed him! That's pretty much dating already."

"It's not the same! I was joking with him and he took it seriously, and…it just happened."

"Okay, so maybe you aren't dating, but if he kissed you, I think that means he wants to date you."

"Or maybe he regretted it and wants to avoid me like a jellyfish."

"Did he seem disappointed after he kissed you?"

"Knowing my tendency to overthink things, do you think my thoughts on his reaction are accurate anymore? I can't remember if he seemed to like it or not with how much I've dwelled on it…"

"Don't worry about it. The next time you see him, ask about it. I'm sure he won't have a negative reaction."

"Maybe." Obi-Wan sighed, a stream of bubbles escaping his lips as he did so, "I just don't want to get my hopes up if he's only interested in me because I'm something new, and not interested in me for me."

"You should ask him that too. The worst he can do is reject you, and that won't be so bad because you're not even dating yet, so no hard feelings."

"Maybe back when everything was a joke, sure, now I have my hopes up—I'm horrible at this romance thing once it starts looking real, you know that. I flirt, I don't do well beyond that."

Luminara laughed. "Stop worrying so much about it. That's how you end up doing poorly after flirting."

Obi-Wan gave a low whine, turning so he was swimming belly-up and reaching out with his fingers to touch the surface of the water as he continued forward. "I have a reputation for being a flirt, but none of that really matters when it's important…they don't know how pathetic I am."

"You're not pathetic. You just get really nervous around someone you think is attractive."

"It's more than that." He shook his head, "It's the idea that someone I like might flirt back, might like me back. Satine was one thing, we both knew it wouldn't last. Both knew it would just be a little fling that would end in friendship in the end. This…this is different. I don't want a temporary fling."

"So you're worried the land boy won't want a long relationship?"

"Stupid of me, right? Now do you see why I just wanted to deny I even had these feelings?"

"Oh no, Mister. Don't you dare deny your feelings. You know better than that. You need to learn to be confident with your feelings, not just throw them away as a lost cause because you think you can't commit."

"I'm not afraid of committing, I'm afraid to be left forgotten and alone."

"So you wind up not committing in the end, therefore you're afraid of committing."

"You're using that round-about logic, again."

"Of course. I'm trying to get you to be more confident about your feelings, and if that means I have to tell the land boy you like him, so help me, I will."

"You don't even know what he looks like."

"And? I'll know who he is as soon as you start acting all flustered after seeing someone."

"You assume I'll see him."

"If you see him, I'll know is what I'm getting at."

Obi-Wan curved his back and gave a powerful thrust with his tail to propel himself down and around so that he was next to her, "We both know you're hoping to catch a glimpse of him. You're curious as to what has caught my eye."

"Of course I am! I want to see the land boy as much as you do, silly." Luminara chuckled.

"I don't know about _that_." He smirked.

* * *

To be continued…


	6. Chapter 6

"Pass the brownies." Padmé said as she set her half-eaten sandwich down on a napkin in her lap and stretched her arm out towards Anakin. "Your mom baked them, right? She always makes the best baked goods."

"Here you go." Anakin handed her the box. "Yeah, she makes food too good I think."

"I think she makes magic in the kitchen, somehow." She laughed, breaking into the box of treats and plucking one out for her enjoyment.

"I wouldn't be surprised if she's talented in food magic." Anakin chuckled as he also grabbed a brownie out of the box.

"Is food magic even a thing? Well, if it is, your mom definitely has it and I think it could end wars. I could see her slapping down a plate of cookies and be all 'Stop fighting and eat!' problem solved."

"She would definitely do that." Anakin shoved his brownie into his mouth with a smile.

Padmé finished eating the brownie and took another bite of her sandwich before sighing and setting her sandwich on the box of brownies and pushing herself up. "I'll be right back. Bathroom." She said as she started carefully stepping on the rocks on her way back to the castle's beach. "Need anything while I'm going in?"

"I think I forgot to bring sunscreen out here, so if you could grab some, that would be great."

"Sure. Don't eat all the brownies. I'm going to want more!" she shouted as she stepped into the sand and started running towards the beach entrance to the castle.

Anakin chuckled. "I won't take all the brownies. Too full for that."

"I'll hold you to that!" she called back before she was gone, leaving Anakin alone with the sound of waves and seagulls overhead.

"So who's the girl?" a voice said suddenly, directly beside the prince, Obi-Wan's red head popping up from the water.

Anakin yelped in surprise at the voice, losing his balance and falling into the water. "Obi-Wan? Jesus Christ, dude, you scared me."

"Ooo, spooky water." Obi-Wan smirked, flicking water off his fingers at Anakin as he rested comfortably half onto the rock Anakin had been sitting on.

Anakin's surprise quickly turned to happiness as he laughed and splashed water at the merman. "So spooky."

"So who is she?" he asked.

"Padmé," Anakin replied as he climbed back up onto the rock. "She's a childhood friend of mine."

"What a coincidence. That's Luminara, one of my closest friends from childhood." He said, gesturing behind him at the green mermaid he had come with.

Luminara swam closer, suddenly feeling shy as she looked at Anakin, who definitely looked like he was fully human.

Anakin glanced at her and smiled warmly. "Hi, I'm Anakin. Don't worry, I don't bite."

"So what are you and your friend doing out here?" Obi-Wan asked, picking up a fork and turning it over in his fingers.

"We were having lunch. She's here because my twenty first birthday is soon, and there's a big ball that's going to happen in honor of me. A lot more people are going to show up the closer to my birthday it gets, but honestly I'm not really looking forward to it." Anakin sighed.

"Lunch…so this is all food?" Obi-Wan asked, "What's a birthday?" he added.

"Most of it is food, and a birthday is a day that your life is celebrated. You're born a certain day of a certain month, and for the rest of your life you celebrate that day."

"Oh, we call that a life day."

"That's cool. I think that's a better name for it anyways. You're celebrating your birth, yes, but also your life and how far you've made it. Calling it a life day makes more sense."

"Maybe we can do something for your life day when you aren't doing that ball thing?"

"That's sounds like a wonderful idea. Maybe I can sneak away after the ball and we can do some late night swimming."

"You'd really want to? With me?" Obi-Wan asked.

"If you're willing... Yeah, I'd want to."

"Great! Uh, what day is your life day?" he asked.

"In about a month. I can let you know more detailed plans when it comes closer."

Obi-Wan nodded and smiled, "I'll look forward to it."

"I will too." Anakin smiled at Obi-Wan, then he looked back at the box of brownies. He grabbed it and held it out to Obi-Wan. "Here, my mom made these. Your friend can have one too if she wants." He looked back at Luminara, who only sunk into the water a little more.

"What are they?" Obi-Wan asked, looking into the box at the brown squares.

"They're brownies. They're sweet and taste like chocolate. They're good, I promise."

"Chocolate?" Obi-Wan asked, picking up one of the brownies and examining it.

"I guess it makes sense that you've never heard of chocolate. Just trust me, it's really good."

"Is it plant or animal?" he asked.

"It's a plant. I don't know of any animals that taste sweet like this."

Obi-Wan nodded and took a small bite, his eyes widening, "Lumi, Lumi you have to try this!"

"Are you sure it's safe?" Luminara asked as she rose out of the water a little.

"Pretty sure Anakin and his friend were eating these things just fine." Obi-Wan said, rolling his eyes and holding out a brownie towards her.

Hesitantly, she took it and bit into it. Immediately her eyes lit up at the sweetness that filled her mouth. "This is the best thing I've ever eaten."

"It is pretty great," Anakin agreed with a smile.

Obi-Wan pulled himself up onto the rocks to sit before he took another, slightly larger bite of his brownie. "I didn't know land food could taste this good."

"We like to cook our food. I don't know if you do that somehow, but obviously not with fire because you're underwater all the time. But cooking helps our food taste better than if it wasn't. Also there are some food we absolutely have to cook because it's harmful to us when raw." Anakin shifted to make more room for Obi-Wan.

"We use magic to boil the water around some foods to make them more tender and less rubbery, but some things are better without those extra steps."

"So you guys eat a lot of raw stuff?"

"Yeah, it's natural and healthy, so why waste energy on preparing the things that don't need it?"

"I suppose mers have a stronger immune system than humans do."

"We are different species." Luminara muttered.

"Well, yes... Obviously some things are going to be different about us."

"It doesn't bother you, does it?" Obi-Wan asked Anakin.

"No, it doesn't bother me at all. I like that we're different."

"I meant that I eat my food raw for the most part."

"That doesn't bother me either."

"Oh good." The merman relaxed his shoulders.

"Were you worried that was gonna drive me away?"

"Well, it could make you not want to…you know…again?"

"Psh, so what? So you taste like fish. I could care less, Obi-Wan. Really, it doesn't bother me at all." Anakin smiled reassuringly.

"Then you didn't dislike the other night?"

"Not at all. I... Rather enjoyed it."

"Oh, I did as well…" Obi-Wan admitted, lowering his voice, though he knew Luminara could hear him clearly.

Anakin leaned in closer with a smile. "Yeah? So you'd...do it again?"

"With you, yes…"

Closing the distance between them, Anakin kissed Obi-Wan lightly with a smile, clearly happy to kiss Obi-Wan once again.'

Obi-Wan smiled and pressed into the kiss, wrapping his arms around the human's shoulders before they parted their lips.

"If I had known how much you wanted to kiss me before, I would have made a move earlier." Anakin chuckled as he sat back.

"It's not like I'm desperate for a kiss from you." The mer flushed.

"You say that, but you easily kissed me back when I started that kiss."

"Well, I'm going to enjoy what is offered."

"Fair enough." Anakin smiled.

Luminara reached over, grabbing one of Obi-Wan's fins and tugging it. "That other human is coming back!" she hissed, having sunk down in the water again.

Obi-Wan blinked down at her and then looked over at the beach. "I—guess this visit is cut short." He slipped into the water, hand touching Anakin's leg as he did so.

Anakin looked behind him and saw that Padmé was returning, and he sighed. "Yeah… I'll see you later, Obi-Wan." He reached down and squeezed the mer's hand and smiled sweetly.

Obi-Wan flushed pink and nodded, "Until next time." He said before he disappeared into the waters.

Anakin sighed as he turned back to Padmé. "Did you grab the sunscreen," he asked as she got closer.

"Of course I did." She said, arms out as she stepped from rock to rock out to him to hand him the bottle.

"Cool." He took the bottle and started to put some sunscreen on his arms.

"You didn't get board and eat all the brownies, did you?"

"Of course not. I don't think I could eat them all anyways."

"Good, but it seems you did eat a few." She observed after sitting down.

Anakin looked down at the box. "Yeah… I don't think I'll eat anymore today."

"More for me, then!" she hummed, grabbing one to enjoy.

Under the waters, Obi-Wan sighed, "…He didn't notice my pearl…"

Luminara put her hand on Obi-Wan's shoulder. "Sorry Obi… Maybe next time."

"At least he kissed me again." He sighed, "Come on, let's see if we can find some food to take back with us."

 

* * *

 

Anakin's birthday soon came around, and with it the grand ball that was to be held in his honor. Invitations had gone out to several kingdoms and noble families, inviting them all to come and celebrate Anakin's life, as well as have their heirs take a shot at winning the prince's heart. Of course, Anakin was none too thrilled with this part of his ball, but he knew he had to endure it at least for the one night. As soon as he was able, he was going to sneak out to go be with Obi-Wan.

Standing in front of the mirror in his room, Anakin adjusted the tie around his neck, making sure every part of his suit was perfect for the long night he had ahead of him.

A quiet knock sounded at his door, "Ani? Are you decent?" came Padmé's voice.

"Yeah, door's unlocked," Anakin responded as he fixed the collar of his shirt.

"Good! Don't want to see you hanging out in your birthday suit." She joked, slipping inside with a wrapped gift in her hand.

Anakin laughed as he turned to look at his friend. "So you do still know how to tell a joke."

"Hey, I'm a fun person!" she insisted, holding out the gift to him.

"Sure." Anakin smirked as he took the present. "Do I need to open this now or wait until the ball?"

"Now." She encouraged, sitting on the end of his bed and pulling her legs up next to her, shoes left on the floor.

Anakin opened up the box and smiled at what was inside. He picked up the silver circlet adorned with deep blue gems. "Padmé this is gorgeous."

"It matches your eyes. And a prince should glitter at his big Ball." She grinned, "Go ahead and try it on."

Anakin set the box to the side and went back to the mirror, placing the circlet on his head. "Fits perfectly."

"Good." She got up and moved over behind him, resting her chin on his shoulder as she looked at his reflection, "It suits you."

Anakin smiled at his best friend. "Thank you for this. It'll make some part of tonight enjoyable."

If you find yourself overwhelmed by the vultures we both know will be looking to catch you, then let me know. My intended will be here and he's pretty good at spooking people off when they are unwanted."

"I appreciate that. I think I'll handle myself for most of the night. Besides, I'm planning on sneaking out later anyways."

"Fish boyfriend?" she asked teasingly.

Anakin rolled his eyes. "Yes, my merman boyfriend. I promised I'd swim with him tonight."

"A moonlit swim under the stars. Romantic." She smiled, "I still wish I cold meet this guy."

"I'd love for you to meet him. But I don't know if he's ready to meet another human."

"I can't blame him with how shitty humans as a race have been towards magical races, but I'm still disappointed." She pulled back and sighed, "Well, ready to go? Party can't really start until you show up."

Anakin sighed and nodded. "Time to be the most popular person in the land."

"Watch out for snakes and vultures." She said, taking his arm as they left the prince's chambers.

"I'll be fine," Anakin reassured as they made their way to the ballroom. "Besides, I'll have you close by if I need help."

"Of course, but still, I know from experience that some of them can strike unexpectedly in attempt to gain the title of royalty."

 "I can handle a surprise attack, Padmé."

"I would hope so. You aren't a child anymore." She chuckled, "Okay, I need to sneak back inside so you can have your grand entrance. Good luck, birthday boy."

"Thanks. I'll see you later." Anakin smiled as he watched Padmé leave. He sighed and shook out his arms, then he headed to the door he would be entering through. It was at the top of the ballroom, a grand staircase leading down to the floor. Waiting for him was the person who would announce his arrival to the guests.

He was announced to the room, all eyes turning on him as he started his decent to the ballroom floor. As he approached the last few steps, a number of young guests moved forward to greet him, each an obvious hopeful.

Smiling kindly, he told each one that he would be around for the whole night, and that he would make sure everyone would have time with him. Then began his long process of trading off between potential partners and talking with elders from other families and kingdoms.

Lady after Lady, Anakin danced, sweeping them across the dance floor to the music as they each took the chance to chatter to him about themselves. Finally, as he was starting to feel like he could use a break—or a drink—or something different, someone tapped him on the shoulder with a smile.

"May I cut in, Highness?"

The man looked to be only a few years older than Anakin—likely the same age as Padmé. He was tall, had darker skin, deep green eyes, and black hair swept back from his face with some sort of hair product. To say he was handsome would be an understatement.

Anakin blinked with wide eyes, almost feeling starstruck at the sight of the young man before him. "Hello… y-yes, you may cut in." He bowed slightly out of respect for the new player in the game to win his heart.

"But—" the girl he'd been dancing with said; stunned, half disappointed that her time with Anakin had been cut short, and half insulted that the newcomer stepped into her place to dance with Anakin, and had not wanted to dance with her.

"I'm Zech, by the way, of the Goldelm family in Corellia." The man said with keeping his smile, slipping his arm around Anakin's waist and moving to lead the dance.

Anakin looked at the girl he left behind with an expression that clearly told he was as surprised as she was. He looked back at Zech and swallowed, even more impressed that this newcomer was taking the lead of the dance and was doing it quite well. "Corellia… I've never been there. Is it nice?"

"I wouldn't suggest it as a vacation spot, so no. It's not a wealthy country and we have yet to recover from a war that tore our cities apart long ago before our oldest generation was even born." The man admitted, "But we do our best and are a nation of hard workers."

"Well for being from a poor nation, you sure look fantastic and well put together." Anakin smiled gently, though he felt a bit awkward.

"Well, my family is in the nobility class. My father's a Duke."

"I see. So what is your title then? Earl, baron, viscount? If you don't mind my asking."

"I'm a marquess as my father's oldest son." Zech supplied, twirling Anakin out as the dance dictated before pulling him back in close.

Anakin started to feel very awkward, not used to being led in the dance as opposed to being the leader. "Of course, how could I forget that title? Well then, Marquess Zech, you lead very well in the dance, but I have to say that I'm not used to being in this position. It's… a little awkward for me. The way you suddenly took charge… surprised me."

"Apologies. Would you like to switch? Or take a break and get a drink with me instead? Admittedly, I thought you'd like a change of pace as you seemed…bored."

"It's not that I'm bored… but something different is much appreciated. Perhaps a drink would suit me well, and maybe a walk on the beach." Anakin pulled out of the dance and rubbed his palms on the front of his pant legs.

"As you wish." Zech bowed his head and guided Anakin off the dance floor with an arm around his shoulders until they got to the bar. "What would you like?"

"I don't want something with too much in it. A simple mimosa or margarita will do."

"Two mimosas, please." Zech requested the bartender. Once they had been made, he took them and handed one to the prince.

"You didn't have to get the same thing as me, you know." Anakin smirked as he took a sip of his drink.

"It sounded good to me." He shrugged taking his own sip. "Now, you wanted to go get some air?"

"Yes, I did. The tricky part is getting out of here without being seen though." Anakin looked around, waiting for the moment people seemed to lose sight of him, and when the moment came, he hurried out of the room and headed right for the beach where he knew no one would be watching him except for security guards. At least they would be aware he stepped outside if things went sour with Zech.

Zech followed, stepping out into the salty air. "Must be nice to live so close to the ocean. Corellia is too far inland to ever see it."

"It has its perks, that's for sure. I go swimming almost every day actually." Anakin shrugged and took another sip of his drink.

"You must have a lot of muscle built up from that." Zech approved, "I got mine the boring way of lifting weights."

"I've built up muscle, I've strengthened my endurance, I can hold my breath longer, lots of things I've improved by swimming every day."

"What else are you interested in, Prince Anakin?" he asked.

Anakin shrugged. "A lot of the old magic interests me. I read a lot about life before humans got greedy and scared and killed so many magical species."

"So you enjoy history of magic? I liked to focus my studies on sciences."

"It's interesting how humans went from stealing magic to basically making their own with science."

"Yes, it's interesting and I feel we are better off without magic."

"Well if magic is used in a good way, we could advance what we already know. Medicines could have healing spells, weapons could have protection spells. The possibilities are endless." The prince pointed out.

"But at what cost? Magic already corrupted us once. It could do so again."

"Magic never corrupted humans, though. Humans took it from magical creatures and used it in such horrible ways that some people went mad with power. Humans are the real culprit." Anakin glanced towards the ocean, almost hoping that Obi-Wan wasn't there to see him with Zech.

"With all due respect, Prince Anakin, but that is exactly what I meant by magic corrupting us. Without it our ancestors would have never done those things."

Anakin lowered his eyebrows. "I'm not exactly sure what you're getting at. Are you for or against magic?"

"Against it. A taste of the power it gives drove so many to want more, to steal from other creatures that have a naturally strong connection to it, and to create dark magic. Humans are better off without that temptation, lest we destroy ourselves once and for all."

"So... Those who possess magic, should they be left alone or contained and gotten rid of?"

At that, Zach shrugged, "I just don't want corruption and darkness to spread."

"I don't want it to spread either, but I want magic to be seen as a good thing, not something bad."

"Magic used to run in my family…it corrupted them and they did horrible things. I'd rather just stay far away from it."

Anakin nodded. "Right... Look, I appreciate you coming here tonight and trying your hand for my favor, but I don't know if our values line up very well."

"You'd reject me because of my personal wish to keep away from magic knowing my family history with it? It's not like I'm going around protesting the existence of it. I just don't want to get involved with it."

"That's fine, I respect that. But with my interest in magic, I'm bound to... Do something with it in the future."

"Something?"

"Something..." Anakin shook his head and sighed, glancing out to the ocean.

"You wouldn't have to involve me in whatever that is, you know." Zech said, slipping in closer next to him and looking out at the way the moon was reflected on the water.

"I know. I don't think our paths cross much after tonight anyways, not to sound rude."

"Our paths will cross if we wish them to. Just as your path could cross any of those interested ladies in there if you wish, but come on, we both know you aren't interested in any of them. I came here expecting to be bored—so imagine my surprise when you walked in and my gaydar went haywire." He turned to face Anakin, setting aside his drink on the railing they stood next to and instead gently cupped Anakin's chin to guide him to look up at him—to make eye contact. "It's okay to be gay, my sweet prince, and the alternative definition of gay is happy. We can find happiness together if you'll just let me in."

Anakin's eyes widened as he looked up at Zech, his cheeks turning red. "I-I... Didn't know I set off anyone's gaydar..."

"Am I wrong? If so please tell me and I will apologize for my flirting."

"I mean, you're not wrong... I just didn't expect there to be a man here interested in me."

"In these modern times where we don't have to hide behind a straight marriage façade?" he chuckled, "I'm pleased to have given you such a surprise, then, on your birthday."

"Well, I've not told my family that I'm gay... So I'm surprised that you're here."

"I came as a representative for my family. My sister is also here."

"Ah. See if my mom knew in sure she would have made an effort to invite more gay men." Anakin chuckled as he pulled away slightly.

"Sounds like you should talk to her about your preference for men over women—though I do like the lack of competition for your attention tonight. Then again, maybe if there were more here and you had outright refused me, I could have the chance at meeting someone else…" he shrugged, taking his drink and sipping it again.

"In time... I'm not exactly focused on that right now. I have... More important matters right now to worry about."

"Such as?"

"Uh, w-well," Anakin stuttered. "It's... It's a lot to do with my family, and it's really a lot I have on my plate right now. I don't want to talk about it really." Anakin sighed as he leaned against the railing.

"Fair enough, but you know, it is nice to have someone at your side that can support you." Zech said, stepping closer, half trapping Anakin against the railing before he leaned in closer, running his fingers up along the prince's arm and around the back of his neck where his hand found a resting place. Holding him there, the marquess bowed his head down, hovering above Anakin's lips as his other hand rested on his hip, "I can be there for you when you feel alone or overwhelmed, Anakin…" he whispered before their lips met and he pressed firmly into the kiss.

If Anakin's eyes could have gone any wider, they would have. The kiss was so unexpected, yet the prince almost felt he knew it was going to happen. It was so different from kissing Obi-Wan. Strong, powerful... Possessive. Anakin felt conflicted, wanting to pull away but also wanting to press in.

When Anakin didn't pull away, Zech pulled him in tighter, his hand moving from his hip down, up, and back down again until his fingers slipped under the waist of Anakin's pants, tugging at his shirt.

Anakin made a surprised noise, trying to shove Zech away with an angered expression. "What the hell do you think you're doing?!"

"Shh, just relax." He soothed, not letting go or backing off his advances.

"No, get off me!" Anakin struggled more, trying to get his arms free.

"Anakin—" In the struggle the two flipped back over the railing and into the sand of the beach below, Anakin landing on his back with Zech on top of him and between his legs. "Fuck, stop being so stubborn! It's not like I was going to strip you completely!" he growled.

"I didn't consent to any of this, so get off!" Anakin wiggled his arm free and threw a punch in Zech's face.

"Brat!" Zech snapped after his face was forced to the side with a bruise already forming on his cheek. He coiled his arm up and threw his own punch down into Anakin's gut.

Anakin gasped as air left his body, and he scrambled to get away. "Leave me alone!"

"Get back here!" Zech scrambled after Anakin, tearing at his clothes and skin with his hands and nails to get him back under control.

* * *

To be continued…


	7. Chapter 7

Looking over his shoulder, Anakin dashed towards the ocean . He hoped that Zech couldn't swim as well as him, and that was the only thing he was relying on to get him to safety.

Of course, then he tripped on a mound of sand and fell in a heap. His heart pounded in his chest as he glanced back at Zech once more.

"Just give in and let this happen!" Zech hissed as he pounced on Anakin, ripping his silk shirt so that a few expensive buttons popped off and fell into the shifting sand. "You're making me feel like a bad guy where if you had just behaved and let it happen it would have been nice!"

"Why can't you just leave me alone?" Anakin struggled again, managing to turn over on his stomach. "I don't want this!"

"You were the one hinting you wanted this—asking me out here where no one could see us have a little fun!"

"I didn't ask you out here! You followed me!" The prince started to crawl away, trying to stand back up.

"Oh don't you—yIIP!" he chirped in surprise as he was suddenly yanked by the ankles into the water and pulled under by something unseen.

Anakin hesitated, waiting and listening. At least Zech wasn't attacking him anymore, but he was still worried he wasn't out of danger yet.

In the distance Zech's head popped up out of the water and he began swimming frantically for shore. Huffing for breath by the time he reached the sandy bottom. But he didn't stop or pause at Anakin as he ran, leaping over the prince as he went, "What kind of monsters—!" he was crying out to himself as he fled.

Stunned, Anakin watched Zech run away from the water, then he looked for the source of what might have scared the man.

"Are you okay?" a worried voice asked after Zech had rounded out of sight.

Anakin smiled in relief and rushed into the water, not caring if he ruined parts of his suit. He threw his arms around Obi-Wan and hugged him tight. "Thank God you were here..."

"I was waiting for you out on the rocks and saw him attack you…when you rolled to the water I had to help." Obi-Wan said, gently touching Ankin's shoulders as they sat in the shallows.

"I don't know what would have happened if you weren't waiting for me." Anakin sighed as he pulled back. "That guy was an asshole. I can't believe he tried to get into my pants."

"I—don't really know what that means, or what pants are, but I assume it was a bad thing to want to get into?" Obi-Wan admitted.

"Basically he wanted to have sex with me, and I wasn't wanting that. He was going to force me." Sighing, the prince shook his head.

"Wait, so he tried to mate with you even after you said no? He didn't back off and give you your space? What kind of _animal_ does that?" Obi-Wan gasped, horrified.

"The lowest, scummiest of humans, actually. It's sad, really." Anakin hugged Obi-Wan close again and closed his eyes. "God, I hope he doesn't come back."

"He shouldn't. I did use some magic to make myself seem like a larger predator. Usually a trick to try and escape from the deep-sea monsters that do eat mers, but I think it worked well on that human."

"Jesus, you can be scary. Good thing I'm not on your bad side."

"Only with magical help. Alone I'm just me but trying to look bigger." He said, puffing his chest out and flaring his fins as an example.

"You do look bigger. So scary." Anakin smirked as he splashed water on the merman.

"Scarier than water?" Obi-Wan asked, laughing as he deflated back down to normal.

"Much." Anakin tackled Obi-Wan down to the sand underneath the water's surface with a laugh.

Obi-Wan smiled, a stream of bubbles escaping his mouth as he looked up at Anakin. "Good to see you in a better mood." He said, the only distorting of his voice from under the water being the bubbles that brought the sound up.

Anakin smiled and pulled Obi-Wan up to kiss him, glad to be kissing someone he actually cared about.

Obi-Wan kissed back gently before slowly pulling back. "I brought you something for your life day."

"You did? You didn't have to do that you know."

"But I wanted to." Obi-Wan insisted, pulling away and slipping out from under the human, "I'll be right back." He said before taking off to the rocks where he'd left the gift, and then came swimming back to the shallows. With a smile, he held out the gift. A small triton shell that had been fixed onto some sort of string, with a pearl set into it's opening.

Anakin took the shell with a smile. "This is amazing. Did you make this?"

"Yes, I did. I hunted for the pearl as well."

"This pearl probably the best one I've ever seen. I guess you wanted the perfect one for me, right?"

Obi-Wan's cheeks flushed, "Pearls are the ocean's great treasure, and to mers they hold a special meaning. There is no magic in them, but that's one of the charms about it. That such beauty can form without magic from just a stray grain of sand. Layer by later over time within an oyster…" he lifted his gaze to Anakin's, "I admit to you that we wear pearls to show off to…special individuals, and to gift one is…significant."

Anakin looked up at Obi-Wan. "Significant? As in a token of affection? Telling someone you really like them?"

"Is…that okay?" he asked, bowing his head in a nod.

"Are you kidding? Of course it's okay. I love it." Anakin smiled and leaned forward to hug Obi-Wan.

Obi-Wan smiled wide, "I'm glad you feel that way."

"And I'm glad I get to learn a little bit of your culture."

"I'm glad you appreciate it. I feel like most humans wouldn't."

"Well of course I appreciate it. I appreciate any gift from my boyfriend." Anakin smiled at the use of the new word for Obi-Wan.

"Boyfriend?" Obi-Wan asked, tilting his head, earfin twitching slightly.

"Yeah, it's... what you call a guy when you're dating him."

"Dating…as in seeing each other as potential life mates?"

"Something like that, yeah."

"Anakin…" Obi-Wan smiled and leaned in to kiss him, "I feel the same."

"Good thing we're on the same page." Anakin chuckled.

"Though now my anger with that other human and how he attacked you is hitting me again. I hope I never see him again around here."

"He was a dirtbag anyways. He only wanted sex with me, not a life of happiness." Anakin shrugged and sighed as he looked back towards the castle.

"And what would have happened if I wasn't here and he had been successful in his heinous act? What if a youngling resulted? Would he have been forced to stay in your life?"

"Oh, human males can't get pregnant. There wouldn't have been any kid, but he wouldn't have stayed either. He probably would have gone on his merry way, happy that he got what he wanted and would have never returned."

"You…can't? Obi-Wan repeated in surprise, "That's strange…I thought you could as human kind's numbers grow so quickly."

"Nope, humans just like to fuck I guess."

"Interesting…" he hummed.

"Well, I guess technically there are some guys out there who can have babies, but it's because they were born in female bodies. But a male like me could not have a baby."

"So you aren't like mers even though you half look like us."

Anakin nodded. "Yep, I can't have babies."

"I could. Mers all have both reproductive parts, though the half of us we call female has a higher chance at a successful coupling when being the carrier than those of us we call male, and we have a higher chance at getting a partner carrying than they are."

"So if we were to ever... You know, we could end up pregnant?"

"Assuming we are physically compatible, yes."

"How would we know if we're compatible?"

He shrugged, "If a coupling is successful between us."

Anakin shook his head. "I'm confused now. But I guess we don't need to worry about all that now."

"No, we are not to that point in our relationship." Obi-Wan agreed.

Smiling, Anakin kissed Obi-Wan's cheek. "We'll get there eventually."

"Well, that's the hope, at least." He smiled, taking his hand and taking the gift from him to carefully tie around Anakin's neck.

Anakin held still as the necklace was put on him. "I've now gotten two gifts from friends today. This necklace and the circlet I have on. I'm surprised it's still on."

"Padmé?" he guessed.

"Yes, from her. I'm so lucky to have her as a friend."

"Friends are good to have. You are never truly alone when you have loved ones in your life."

"How true. I'm glad Padmé has stuck around for me. Well, I mean she lives far away, but she's always ready to help when I need her."

"Like a true friend." Obi-Wan nodded, "Along with teasing you, I'm sure."

"All the time." Anakin chuckled.

"Good to know I'm not the only one with a best friend who teases." Obi-Wan laughed before taking Anakin's hand in his, "Do you have the time for a swim?"

"I've probably been gone longer than I originally wanted... But I think I can make time for you."

"I want to show you something that can only be seen when the sun is gone and the moon is out. You'll have to hold your breath for it, though. It's a bit deep down."

"You know I can dive deep. I never would have met you if I couldn't." Anakin smirked as he moved onto the beach to strip to his underwear, giving him less resistance when he went back in the water.

"This is a bit deeper than the marshbloom cave. Signal me if you need more air and I'll transfer some of mine to you."

Anakin nodded as he dove into the water.

"Want me to take you there or do you want to swim yourself?" Obi-Wan asked.

"Well I think we'd get there faster if you take me. It'd be less time for me to hold my breath as well."

Obi-Wan nodded and moved behind Anakin, wrapping his arms around his chest to hold him tight and securely to himself, "Let me know when you're ready to go."

Anakin then nodded and took in a deep breath in preparation for the dive.

When Anakin nodded that he was ready, Obi-Wan dove under and took off in the direction they needed to go, keeping close to the surface and jumping out every so often for Anakin to take a fresh breath.

Finally, he stopped and popped their heads above the water while letting go of Anakin. "It's below us now. Get your bearings and we'll go under."

Anakin nodded while smiling. "Sorry, I still have to get used to swimming that fast. It's so much fun!"

"Well, human legs are not designed for swimming. Your kind swims impressively well for a land-dwelling race."

"Yeah, some of us do swim pretty good. Alright, I'm ready to head down."

Obi-Wan nodded and took Anakin's hand to guide him down in the dark waters, unknowing of how well human eyes could see.

Though the salt stung his eyes, Anakin could see clearly for a little while. After that, he was totally dependent on Obi-Wan guiding him. A little bit longer led to his lungs screaming for air and pressure building up in his skull. He hoped they were getting close because he was sure this was the deepest he had ever gone without proper diving gear.

"Squeeze my hand if you need air at any point." Obi-Wan told him just as a glowing appeared below them.

Anakin didn't want to take in air quite yet, but he wasn't a merman, and he needed more air. So he squeezed Obi-Wan's hand almost as soon as the mer was finished talking.

"Let out your bubbles and be ready to accept mine." As promised, the mer stopped pulling Anakin down and instead turned to pull him in close, lips against lips as he let a bubble of air form, transferring it to Anakin.

Surprised that he somehow didn't inhale any water, Anakin gratefully took in the air bubble. His lungs didn't hurt anymore, which was definitely a plus.

Smiling, Obi-Wan kissed him lightly before he turned to continue pulling Anakin towards the glowing area below.

The closer they got, the more Anakin could see again. He was relieved to be looking at something other than darkness.

They finally reached it and Obi-Wan smiled as they found themselves floating among countless little bioluminescent plankton.

Anakin's eyes lit up in wonder. Such small creatures were putting out so much light that Anakin could see his hand reach out to wiggle his fingers amongst the plankton. He smiled and looked at Obi-Wan excitedly.

"I thought you'd like this." Obi-Wan grinned, "They're quite pretty when they gather together like this."

Anakin nodded quickly while looking back at the plankton. He wanted to laugh out of the pure enjoyment he had in the moment, but he knew that was dangerous. He settled for smiling as wide as we could without letting his mouth open.

Obi-Wan relaxed, floating freely among the plankton and parting his lips as he began to sing. Slowly, the plankton began to respond to his voice, moving together in patterns and streams around them as if dancing.

 Anakin didn't think he could get more surprised, yet there he was with wide eyes watching the plankton respond. It felt more magical than anything the prince had experienced before.

When the song finished the plankton began to float randomly around again and Obi-Wan moved over to give Anakin some more air before speaking, "Ready to go back up?"

Anakin nodded, but before they headed back up, he pulled Obi-Wan in for a tight hug as a form of thanks.

"Okay, up we go, slowly so we adjust properly to the change in pressure." He said, taking Anakin's hand again, "Just like before, squeeze to let me know you need air."

Anakin couldn't keep the smile off his face as they returned to the surface. What Obi-Wan had shown him was special, and he was probably the only person on land who had gotten to see what he saw, especially with the mer singing and the plankton responding. It was a special moment Anakin was sure to remember for a long time.

When they were above water once more, Anakin took in a deep breath greedily, and then he immediately kissed Obi-Wan on the lips. "Thank you for that," he said with a smile.

Obi-Wan's hands cupped Anakin's face as they kissed again, "Thank you for trusting me so I could share it with you." He hummed.

"Of course I'd trust you. I know you won't hurt me."

"Still, your life was in my hands. That's a huge show of trust no matter what."

"Well, I hope there was no doubt about my trusty in you "

"There was a little, but that's because we haven't known each other for very long yet. A few meetings and kisses doesn't mean you'll trust me not to drown you out here where we can't see land."

"Well considering that you haven't tried to drown me with the few meetings and kisses, I'd say my trust in you to not harm me is pretty strong."

"Hmm, but if I drown you, then I get to keep you…" Obi-Wan said in an obvious joke. He then laughed, "Let's get you back to your beach before other humans start to look for you."

Anakin smiled. "I hope no one has missed me yet."

"And that that one human is long gone."

"I hope he left my kingdom entirely. I don't feel like confronting him again."

"If he comes back, push him into the water. Even if I'm not there to scare him, I think my scare tactic earlier will still be fresh in his mind." Obi-Wan suggested before taking Anakin close again to start speeding him back to shore.

"If he comes back, I'm decking him in the face. He had no right to do what he did."

"I'm not one for violence, but seeing as I'd like to think that I'm the only one able to kiss you…yes, 'deck' him hard."

Anakin chuckled. "He'll get what's coming to him if he ever shows his face around here again."

"I would hope so." Obi-Wan said, nuzzling Anakin's neck, "Okay, deep breath, we're going to go." He said, pausing long enough for the prince to take the breath he needed before speeding back towards the beach.

Anakin kept his eyes closed for most of the trip back to the beach, simply enjoying the moment, and for the first time, part of him wished that he was a merman like Obi-Wan. When they returned to the beach, Anakin felt sad he had to leave the water. Sighing, he looked at Obi-Wan.

"I wish I could spend more time with you. I want to know you better, I want to swim with you every day, but I'm limited to how long I can stay in the water. When I'm not in the water I feel...lost."

"And I wish I could explore your world a little. See what land-life is like." Obi-Wan admitted, "But we have the shore, where ocean meets land. For that much, I'm grateful."

"Me too." Anakin smiled and pulled Obi-Wan in close, cupping his face and kissing him.

Obi-Wan kissed back lovingly, "Happy life day, Anakin." He whispered into the kiss. He started kissing him more deeply when voices drifted through the salty air towards them, making him stiffen and turn his head towards the sound. "I should go. Enjoy your evening." He said before pulling himself out of the shallows and disappearing under the water.

"Prince Anakin! HEY! I FOUND HIM! There you are—we've been worried you disappeared and—Why are you practically naked?" A guard said, rushing over to Anakin.

Anakin looked up at the guard, looking dazed. "I...there was a guy from Corellia. He... He attacked me."

"Attacked you?" He pulled off his bright red guard's cape that was worn at royal events and draped it over Anakin's shoulders, "What kind of attack? Which way did he go?"

"He was going to force himself on me..." Anakin hugged the Cape around himself, feeling cold after getting out of the water.

"Come on, my prince, let's get you inside where you can get dry and warm. I'll send word to my fellow guards to search for this attacker."

The guard pulled out his communicator and pressed the button as he held it up to his mouth, "We have an attacker on the grounds, be on the look-out for a Correllian named Zech. I'm escorting the Prince inside."

"Roger that." a few voices responded at the same time.

Anakin sighed, glancing towards the water, then around the beach in search of his clothes. "I have no idea where my clothes are," he mumbled.

"Pervert may have taken off with them. At least you managed to keep your underpants." The guard said gently.

"Yeah..." Anakin started walking back to the castle with the guard, suddenly tired and just wanting the night to be over.

"Anakin! Oh Gods…" Padmé gasped as they stepped through the doors of the castle. She rushed over to her friend, Shmi following close behind.

"What happened?" Shmi asked firmly, though worry glittered in her eyes.

Anakin looked up at his mother, sorry to have worried both her and his best friend. "I'm sorry... I met this guy on the dance floor and we went to get drinks, then we went outside and he...was gonna force himself on me."

Both woman's eyes widened, "This party's over." Shmi decided, putting an arm around her grown baby boy, "Come on, let's get you to your room."

Anakin leaned into his mother as they walked, more out of exhaustion than what had happened with Zech. "Mom, I think I need to talk to you when we get to my room…"

"Of course, sweetie." She hummed, looking up at him, "But first you need to get in a nice hot bath to warm up, and I'll get you a nice warm set of fluffy pajamas to change into."

"Any clothes right now would be nice. I don't know what happened to my suit… but I'm sure it's ruined now."

"Don't worry about that right now, dear. You're safe and I won't let anyone bother you unless you want them to…like Padmé."

"I want Padmé in my room as well. It's easier to tell you with her around." Anakin looked at his friend with a small smile, hoping she understood what he was going to tell his mother.

The soon-to-be queen of Naboo gave him a small smile and a thumbs up as she followed behind them.

As soon as they got to Anakin's room, the prince flopped onto his bed with a sigh. He grabbed a t-shirt that was hanging off the edge of his bed, and deciding that it was clean enough, he tossed it on.

"I'll get the tub filling—extra bubbles for relaxation." Padmé said, moving through to the attached private bathroom to get the water running.

Shmi sat next to her son, "Are you okay? That boy was going to—so he didn't get that far, right? If he did I would want to call the royal healer in here."

"He didn't get that far. I managed to wrestle him off of me before he decided I wasn't worth the effort."

"Good. Any bruises or scrapes he may have left? We should document that kind of thing just in case."

"I don't think so. Maybe he has some, but I don't feel like he physically harmed me."

"When you are in the bath, look for injuries. It's possible you have some without realizing it as it happened. I'm sure you were struggling and wrestling to keep him off you. Defensive wounds do happen."

Anakin nodded. "I just hope he's smart enough to stay away from here."

"His welcome back, should he try it, would be a pair of handcuffs and a trial." She promised.

Padmé then joined them, "The bath is ready for you, Ani."

"Thanks Padmé. Will you two wait here until I'm done?"

"Of course." Both replied.

"I had no plans of leaving you while you bathe." Shmi stated.

"And I was thinking we have a sleep-over like the old days if you want." Padmé added.

"That might be nice. We can gossip about our crushes as well." Anakin smirked as he went into the bathroom.

"You can count on it!" she grinned.

Anakin took his time in the bath, making sure to enjoy it as much as he could. He came out refreshed with the t-shirt on, and he went to grab a pair of his softest pajama pants.

"Okay," Shmi said, folding her legs under her as she sat on the bed, "Now what did you want to talk to me about?"

"Well, this kinda goes along with why I ended up alone with that Corellian." Anakin took a deep breath. "You probably already knew this, but... I'm not really interested in girls as romantic partners. It's why Padmé and I never worked out as a couple."

Shmi nodded, seemingly unsurprised by the confession, "You were interested in getting to know him a little better." She guessed, "So you wanted to go somewhere where you two could speak without interruptions."

"Yeah... I'm not straight, Mom." Anakin shifted slightly. "I thought you might have known already, but I wanted to tell you... You're not upset are you?"

"Of course not, sweetie. Love who you love, and don't let anyone stop you from mutual happiness with someone who treats you right. Woman, man, human, magical…I don't care who it is as long as you are happy."

"Then... There's something else I want to tell you. It's more serious than me being gay. See, I have a boyfriend already, actually... And he's not human." Anakin toyed with his hands, unsure if he really wanted to be telling his mother about Obi-Wan.

"Oh, now this is the juicy stuff I didn't know." She smiled, getting more comfortable and taking one of the pillows to hug, "What is he? Elf? Dwarf? _Fawn_?"

"Merman, actually..."

"Merman?" she looked surprised, "Well, with how much you spend in the ocean, that would make sense, but I thought they went extinct generations ago…"

"They nearly did. They went into hiding to regrow in numbers. There are still so few compared to the amounts there used to be, but they live hidden away deep in the ocean where no humans will ever find them."

"And yet…you found one."

"I did." Anakin smiled. "He's very shy around humans, which is understandable, but he's so nice. I consider myself lucky just to know him."

"So, if you are dating this merman, then why did you go outside with the man who jumped you?" she asked.

"Well I had made a promise to meet with my boyfriend tonight because I knew there were going to be too many girls trying to get my attention. I didn't think the guy would come with me outside."

"Oh—he followed you." She nodded.

"And when he attacked and started ripping at your clothes you ran for the water hoping your boyfriend would be there to help you?" Padmé asked.

"Yeah. Luckily he was there and he pulled the guy into the water. Must have scared him good because he ran from the water screaming like a child."

"Good." Shmi nodded, "I hope he also stayed with you, soothing your frazzled self a bit until that guard found you?"

"Yeah, we actually swam a little. I'm glad he was there, because of he wasn't... Well, I'm glad he was there."

"Did he give you that necklace?" Padmé asked, noting the shell hanging around his neck.

Anakin grabbed the necklace with a smile. "Yeah, he gave it to me as a birthday present."

"That's so sweet. I bet he made it himself, even." She grinned.

"I think so. He said that giving gifts like this in his culture means you really like the person you give it to, and you see them as a life partner."

"He sounds serious about you." Shmi said.

"Well I'm serious about him. I know this sounds too good to be true, but I think he's the person I've been searching for to be my partner."

"Well, as long s you both are aware that you live in different worlds, so that can cause some hardships." Shmi cautioned.

"We talked about that tonight, actually... It was briefly brought up, but we both wish we could either both be on land or in water." Anakin sighed heavily

"Sadly that's just not possible. The closest I think you two could get would be you living on a boat. His coming on land would be frankly cruel. He'd be stuck in a large tank, and that's no way to live. He'd be practically a prisoner." Padmé sighed.

"I would never put him in a tank. But still, I wish there was some way we could live together. Maybe I should just get a house boat and live on the ocean the rest of my life."

"Just beware the storms out there." Shmi laughed, reaching over to mess his damp hair.

"I know." Anakin smiled. "Maybe I'll get extremely lucky and spot a storm dragon."

"You and your love for magical creatures." Shmi chuckled, shaking her head.

"I'm not any different than you were at my age. Palpatine told me you were interested in unicorns."

Shmi flushed, "Yes, well—why wouldn't I? Unicorns are so—pure yet dangerous!"

"I would love to get the chance just to touch the horn of such a powerful creature. I imagine they were so full of pure light magic that you could almost feel the magic with your bare hands."

"That's what the old texts say. But if you posed a danger to them or to something pure they wish to protect, those horns become a dangerous weapon." His mother nodded.

"If only humans hadn't hunted them to extinction."

"The generations past have made many mistakes, Anakin. Heartless, greedy, and cruel mistakes. But we live with what's left and we can make better choices, fix what we're able to fix. It just takes time."

"I know. Even if we have magic, we can't change what's happened in the past."

"No, but we can make sure the sins of our forefathers do not become our own." Padmé stated.

Anakin nodded in agreement. "All three of us should start taking small steps towards working for a future that promises safety for magical races."

"We already have." Padmé smiled.

"Wait, we have? How? By me dating a merman?"

"Ani, we've talked about this before." Padmé said, flicking the tip of his nose.

Anakin sighed. "Sorry, it's been an eventful night. Not my ideal birthday, to be honest."

"I know." Padmé said, pulling him into a hug before standing up, "I'm going to go change into my pajamas and get all the hairspray out of my hair, then I'll be back for our sleepover." She promised before slipping out to go get washed and ready for bed.

Shmi sighed, "Do you want me to have some guards posted outside your door tonight?"

"That might be a smart idea, just in case."

Shmi nodded, "Once Padmé gets back I'll go speak with the guards. Are you sure you're okay?"

Anakin nodded. "I'll be fine."

"Okay…" she squeezed his hand in comfort.

"Don't worry. He didn't get what he wanted from me, and I'm safe."

"You're still my baby and he tried to hurt you. That man is on my—not a nice word list!" she huffed.

Anakin chuckled. "It's okay Mom, you can say shit. I call him an asshole, so call him a shit head. All men like him are."

Shmi gave a scandalized look, "I certainly will not say that!"

"You can't tell me you've never cussed before."

"I have not and will not."

"Come on. Just one little shit!"

"I will not give you a single one."

Anakin folded his arms over his chest and pouted like a little kid.

"Oh don't give me that look. I may just have to—TICKLE YOU!" she said, tickling his sides like she used to when he was a little boy.

Anakin fell back with wide eyes and a screech, knowing how vulnerable he was to tickles. He couldn't stop laughing as his mother took advantage of his weakness.

She tickled him for a moment before pulling back with a grin.

"That was so unfair," Anakin said as he caught his breath.

"No it wasn't. I'm your mother. That's my superpower."

"You're overpowered."

She smirked, pretending to flex her muscles.

Anakin laughed. "I'm so glad you're my mom. Too bad Dad isn't here with us."

"…Yeah…" She sighed, "I miss him…"

"I wish I would have gotten to know him..."

"I wish you could have, too." She smiled sadly.

"Do you think...he'd approve of me being gay and dating a merman?"

"Oh sweetie, your father would be cheering you on harder than anyone—other than me, of course."

Anakin smiled. "Thanks Mom. You're the best." He wrapped his arms around her and hugged her as tight as he could.

* * *

To be continued…


	8. Chapter 8

"Dad, you go that way, and I'll loop around and hope to head them off." Obi-Wan said, pointing with his hunting spear as they eyed a school of tuna. His father had finally healed up properly with Luminara's help, though his scars still discolored his scales and skin. But to celebrate they decided to go on a hunting trip to bring back a feast for a good number of their friends.

"Got it." Qui-Gon swooped around, doing as Obi-Wan had instructed with a smile on his face. He was excited to finally be back to hunting, and to hunt with Obi-Wan once more made the hunting even better.

Obi-Wan took off, starting his wide loop around so that the tuna they were hunting wouldn't expect him. It was enjoyable being able to spend time with his father properly again, and not struggling to keep him still so he could heal.

Watching Obi-Wan and the tuna, Qui-Gon herded the fish in a specific direction that would allow the younger mer to capture one.

Obi-Wan gripped his spear, bringing it over his shoulder as he started calculating his shot.

Qui-gon was close to swimming parallel with Obi-Wan, keeping the fish in a line and in an area that the younger mer could take his shot and catch their dinner.

With a huff that let bubbles escape his nose and lips, Obi-Wan threw his spear, aimed at a decently sized tuna he'd singled out. The spear cut through the water before sticking in the side of the fish who then began to flail, being left behind as the others scattered.

Qui-Gon quickly moved out of the way of the fish, watching the speared fish flail about then stop its struggling. He closed in on the tired fish with a smile. "Well done, Obi. Your hunting skills have improved since I last saw you use them."

"I got a lot of practice in with you moping around at home." Obi-Wan grinned, swimming over to help his father secure their catch.

"Clearly. I'm proud of you." The older mer patted Obi-Wan's shoulder with a wide smile.

The younger mer beamed under his father's praise and approval, "We should get this back home before a predator happens by."

"Yes, I'd rather not get attacked by a shark again."

"Okay, hold it still." Obi-Wan said, backing up and holding his hands out, palms towards the tuna as he began to chant. They began to glow orange before the glow moved our from his hands and formed a bubble around their catch, trapping it inside and leaving a magical rope for them to use to pull the tuna into the depths.

"It looks like your magic has been getting better as well. You've been busy while I've been healing."

"My friends and I have been helping each other with some useful spells." He smiled, handing the glowing rope to his father before taking his spear back.

"You've turned into a fine mer, that's for sure."

"I try." He smiled as they started swimming.

"I can't wait to see you lead a whole hunting party. You can lead yourself and one other, I know, but I want to see how you handle leading several mers."

"I don't know…I like hunting with you as some father-son bonding time and get us our own meals, but to lead a whole team? I'm not really a hunter type."

"Did you not just see what you did? You speared a tuna, and a decent sized one at that."

"Just because I can, doesn't mean it's the right current for me to follow."

Qui-Gon shrugged. "Alright, but I think you may have a future in hunting."

"I have other skills, too. And right now I like drifting from job to job as help is needed in order to contribute to our society."

"Yes, we can use a mer who has multiple skills. Perhaps... Even talking to humans might be a skill needed soon. You're pretty good at that now, right?" Qui-Gon smirked.

Obi-Wan flushed, "Just the one. I haven't spoken to any others. I'm a bit afraid to."

"Maybe you could ask your friend to introduce you to someone else."

"Uh…I wouldn't exactly call him a friend, dad…we kissed…a few times…" Obi-Wan admitted.

Qui-Gon's eyebrows raised. "You kissed him?"

"Yes, I did, and he kissed me back."

"All these years and you find a human as a soul mate. You are one of a kind, Obi."

"There's just something special about him." Obi-Wan shrugged, "And I gifted him a pearl for his lifeday and told him what such a thing means to us, and he accepted."

"At least he's accepting of our culture. That's not something you activity see in humans."

"He also wants the humans to change so that the magical races all don't have to hide."

"You know, I keep getting more and more impressed by this guy. Maybe he's not so bad after all."

"Would…you like to go with me to meet him sometime?" Obi-Wan asked slowly.

There was a long pause, and then a sigh. "Maybe... Sometime later on."

"How much later? If he were a mer, then you'd want to meet him sooner."" Obi-Wan pointed out.

"You know I'm not as trusting of humans as you are. Even if you only trust the one, that's still more than I trust. Give it maybe a couple weeks so I have time to... Prepare myself."

"I just thought that because you don't trust them, you'd want to meet Anakin faster since your son is swimming up to kiss him once in a while."

"Don't get me wrong, I do want to meet him. But meeting a human for the first time is a big deal."

"I know you had a bad experience before, but I'll be there, too."

Qui-Gon nodded. "I know. I want to meet him, I really do. I want to meet the man who's made you happier."

"Then trust me…and I can set it up for him to meet us somewhere we have an easy escape if that makes you feel better. Like the marshbloom cave."

"I suppose that would put me at ease. Talk with him, and whenever you decide for us to meet up, I'll be ready."

"Thank you." He smiled at his father. "I'll scout out ahead to make sure the way is clear for you to get the tuna back home." He said, giving a powerful swish of his tail to propel himself ahead of his father.

Qui-Gon smiled as he watched Obi-Wan swim away. He made sure the tuna was still good for travel before he continued swimming back to the city.

Obi-Wan kept his eyes to the distance around him. For the most part there was nothing that may raise some concerns, but then he spotted a shark and her pups in the distance. Sharks weren't unfriendly with mers by nature, but wild sharks could still try and steal a mer's catch sometimes, especially if it came to feeding pups. So he kept and eye on them, watching for any indication of them catching whiff of their fresh kill. So far they gave no indication of it, which was good.

So focused on the shark family, Obi-Wan didn't notice the shift of light to shadow that indicated a boat overhead, nor did he notice the net that was dropped until the smaller fish around him swam past in a panic., and even then it was too late as he felt himself getting scooped up and tangled in the net along with a number of unlucky fish.

Crying out, he turned his spear on the ropes making up the net, trying to cut through it, though the length of the hunting weapon was too long and its movement limited by the structure of the net.

Qui-Gon was far enough back he couldn't quite hear Obi-Wan cry out. He was oblivious to the danger ahead.

The net started to be pulled upwards towards the surface. All the fish inside the net started swimming around in a panic, pushing against Obi-Wan and slapping him around, preventing him even further from trying to free himself.

Shouting for help, Obi-Wan felt the netting close in tighter the closer to the surface it was pulled, the fish burying him, muffling his cries. And then the water all drained away as the sound of humans shouting orders and responses filled his earfins. He tightened his grip on the spear, waiting helplessly.

And then the net dropped and fell open, fish flopping everywhere around him on the deck of a boat.

The chatter from the humans suddenly silenced. Several men stood around the net filled with flopping fish and one very scared meman. Jaws hung open with eyes wide until a few sets of footsteps could be heard approaching.

"What's going on? Did we catch a big fish or something?" The golden blond curls of a familiar face came into Obi-Wan's view. Anakin approached with a pair of sunglasses and a backwards facing flat bill hat on, a tank top and board shorts completing his outfit suited for a day out on the water.

Anakin glanced down at the net and gasped. "Obi? Holy fuck, everyone get back!" He pushed away people to get to the net, crouching down and reaching a hand out to the merman. "Easy, you're safe… Are you alright?"

Obi-Wan looked up at him with wide eyes, gripping his spear, "Ani? What is…" he looked around, spotting a human holding a strange rectangular item and pointing it at him as he approached. Feeling threatened he let out a warning hiss and turned towards him, fins flared to make himself larger and pointing the spear at him.

Anakin fell back on his butt in surprise, then he looked up at the fishermen. "What are you doing? Put your phones away! Can't you see he's terrified?"

"It—It's a fucking mermaid!" one fisherman said, "How can you expect us not to share this discovery with the world?!"

"Did someone say mermaid?" Palpatine now joined the group huddling around the net, surprise taking over his face much like the fishermen.

"He's scared, alright?! Step back or something," Anakin demanded. "Give him space! I don't care if he's something you've never seen before."

"How can you be so un-excited? We gotta take it back with us and get someone to study it or something! We'll all be rich!"

"Oh no you don't!" Another fisherman said, slamming his boot down onto one of Obi-Wan's delicate looking tail fins when Obi-Wan looked to the side of the boat and started trying to pull himself to it.

Anakin raised his voice to a terrifying level. "Get your damned foot off his tail! Everyone back the fuck up or so help me I will fire every one of you! That is an order!"

Everyone fell silent, looking at the prince.

"What is all the commotion back here?!" Padmé said, moving into view until her eyes fell on Obi-Wan. "Oh!"

"I'm trying to get everyone to back away and put their phones away," Anakin grumbled as he pushed away the man who had stepped on Obi-Wan's tail. He gingerly touched it as he looked at Obi-Wan.

Obi-Wan seemed to shiver as he looked at Anakin, "Will they let me go?" he asked.

"I'll make them let you go. Here." Anakin pulled the net away, letting more fish flop about on deck while also freeing the mer, or at least somewhat free. The net caught on Obi-Wan's tail, digging into the soft tissue.

"Ah!" Obi-Wan flinched in pain, though he didn't blame Anakin for it. He still trusted Anakin, and he knew his human was just trying to help him.

"Ani," Padmé took a slow step forward, "You may do better cutting the net carefully away."

Anakin sighed. "You're right. One of you," he said as he turned to the fishermen. "Give me a knife."

"Letting it go is a mistake, I'm telling you. These fish are supposed to be extinct." One said pulling out a pocket knife and handing it to the prince.

"First of all, he's not a fish. Second, shut the hell up until I say you can speak again." Anakin sawed away at the net, being extra careful when he got close to Obi-Wan's tail. After some time, he was finally able to peel away the net, though not without the expense of a few scales tearing off, which had to have been painful.

"Thank you." Obi-Wan muttered, "I guess this makes us even on the hero front." He gave a small smile and squeezed Anakin's hand.

Anakin smiled. "Are you okay? Can you make it home alright?"

"I think so, my father is down there, we were hunting tuna together."

"Okay, I'll help you back into the water, okay?" Standing up, Anakin prepared to pick up the mer. He leaned down and hooked his arms under Obi-Wan's quivering body, lifting slowly and with a little grunt. A few loose scales fell onto the deck.

Obi-Wan wrapped his arms around Anakin's shoulders to help support his weight, and feel more secure. "Set me on the ledge, I'll dive in at a gentle angle that won't hurt." He said.

"Sorry you got caught. I'll try to keep these guys in line... But we may be facing the fact that mers aren't extinct like humans thought. Things might get messy really fast." Anakin sighed as he set Obi-Wan on the ledge of the boat.

"I should have been paying more attention to what was above me. I was distracted by a mother shark with her pups." Obi-Wan admitted shakily, "I'll…come see you tonight?"

"If you want. Stay safe though. If there's more people around than usual, or I don't show after you come to see me, leave, okay?"

Obi-Wan nodded and leaned in, kissing his cheek with trembling lips before glancing back at the crowd of humans, and then he pitched himself forward, disappearing into the water's depths.

As Obi-Wan left, everyone ran to the railing of the boat and looked down into the water below.

"I can't believe you let it go."

"Why were you talking to it like you could understand it?"

"Did it _kiss_ you?"

"There goes our fame and fortune…"

Anakin ignored all the questions, instead turning and picking up the scales left behind with a sigh. "You all are a bunch of greedy bastards."

"Which only shows that humans seem to have not changed at all in all these generations." Palpatine sighed.

"I want humans to change, but it'll be so hard to change them. They're too curious and greedy."

"It may be in our nature, my boy." He sighed, slipping a hand onto his shoulder.

"It's obviously human nature. It's how humans ended up the dominant species." Anakin shook his head and opened up the hand he held the scales in. "Hey, you said you'd like some mer scales to experiment with. I'll let you have some of these if you want them."

"Well, thank you my boy." Palpatine smiled, holding out his hand, "Perhaps they will allow me to do something truly impressive for your family."

"If you could make my life better with those, it'll be a miracle."

"I'll see what I can do." He chuckled, pulling out a pouch to slip the scales into for safe keeping. "But for now, shall we return to our previous activity before this mer interruption?"

Anakin nodded. "I want to go home though. I'm worried about my friend now."

"Then I'll arrange it. You go along with Princess Padmé."

"Thanks." Anakin sighed and looked to Padmé. "So much for keeping things a secret."

"So was that your boyfriend?" Padmé asked in a curious whisper, leaning into him as they walked away from the chaotic deck. In her hand she carried the spear Obi-Wan had forgotten on deck.

Anakin simply nodded. "I don't know what to do now to keep him safe. I doubt those fishermen are going to keep their mouths shut."

"Most assuredly those pictures and videos have already been posted online." Padmé agreed. "They'll go viral and we'll be seeing it on the news tonight—or you will. I'll be flying back home to Naboo, and I like a relaxing flight without such distractions like news broadcasts."

"Would you sacrifice a relaxing flight if it does make it on the news tonight?"

"I don't know, if you message me about it then I guess I will."

"You might hear talk of it on the plane. News like this will travel fast."

"Yeah, but if you message me about it, I'll know you want to talk about it."

"I think after things hopefully settle down… we should get together again and have both our kingdoms talk of the safety of magical races, especially mers. So many humans are going to want to hunt them down now."

"Agreed." She nodded, stepping into the cabin they had been in before Obi-Wan had been plucked from the sea. She sat down on a chair and turned her eyes on the spear, admiring the designs carved into the shaft, and how the pearlescent head was carved and attached to it. "This thing is very beautiful. You should return it to him."

"I will. Hopefully tonight, if things aren't too crazy in the castle."

"Hopefully." She nodded, "So… can you really understand him? The sounds he was making…they were unlike any language I have ever heard before."

"Yeah, I can understand him and talk to him. He speaks his language, I speak mine, and somehow we can understand each other. It has to be magic, because there's no other way I can explain how we're able to communicate."

"Interesting…I wish I had magic so I could understand him." She sighed.

"I'm sure he would love to talk to you, but now… I don't know. Things are already different now."

Padmé nodded, "If he comes up to see you again, talk to him and find out how he feels about everything."

"I will. He said he wanted to meet me tonight before he went back into the water, actually."

"Hopefully he can meet you safely."

"Hopefully I can actually meet him tonight. I told him to go back home if I don't show up, but I don't want the risk of being caught or having him get hurt."

"Again." She nodded and sighed, "This was not how I hoped to first meet your mysterious boyfriend. He was very pretty, though. That red hair and blue eyes and his tail color—wow."

"He's incredible to look at. I'm lucky we even became boyfriends."

"Illustrations in books don't do mers justice, that's for sure."

"They certainly don't. Mers are so much more elegant in person, and they can swim insanely fast. Their magic is something beautiful to watch. Everything about them is so whimsical."

Padmé giggled, "You're so smitten, it's adorable."

Anakin smiled. "It's kind of hard not to be when my boyfriend is a merman."

 

* * *

 

As soon as Obi-Wan had hit the water he swam downwards as quick as he could with the injuries to his tail. He didn't slow until he could make out the shadow the boat cast over him, and he finally let out a sigh of relief.

From a distance away, Qui-Gon called out for Obi-Wan, unaware of what had happened. He was, however, curious as to why he could see the younger mer.

Obi-Wan turned to look at his father and then began to swim towards him at a slower pace, just wanting comfort.

"Obi-Wan? Did you see something? Do we have to take a longer path home?" The closet Qui-Gon got, the more h saw the distress in Obi-Wan's eyes, and then he saw the patches of missing scales and shallow cuts where the rope of the net had snatched onto Obi-Wan's tail. "Obi... What happened?"

"There was a shark and her pups, so I was watching them to see if they became tempted by the scent of blood in the water, so I didn't see—I got caught up in a human's hunting net…" He latched onto his father in a hug.

"What?" Qui-Gon's eyes were wide as he held Obi-Wan close. "How did you escape?"

"Anakin was there, when he saw me—he saved me. He made the humans all back away and to stop hurting me, and he took me back to where I could dive back into the water after cutting the net off me."

"Bless that boy…" Qui-Gon sighed as he held Obi-Wan closer, moving a hand up to press against the younger mer's head comfortingly. "I'm so glad you got away."

"Me too…they were all talking about taking me on land to be studied or…" he shook his head, "One was on my tail fins to try and stop my escape before Anakin helped. And…can we just go home to rest? If something wants our tuna, then it can have it. I just think I need some rest."

"Are you sure? We don't have much food left at home. We may have to go hunting again tomorrow."

"We'll try to get it back, but I'd like to stick close to you right now so we can't scout ahead. If one comes, then one comes." He shrugged.

Qui-Gon nodded. "Don't worry, I'll keep watch while we swim. Stay as close to me as you need, okay?"

His son nodded, leaning into him as they started at a slow but steady pace back home in the depths.

* * *

To be continued…


	9. Chapter 9

Sarben looked at his shackles once more with extreme dislike. There had to be some way he wasn't thinking of that could break his chains and set him free. Too bad there wasn't a fire dragon that could just melt the chains off him. Sighing, he looked around the room at the magical creatures that were all at the mercy of their cruel captor. Not a single one of them had seen daylight in such a long time. All were underfed, all were thin and hardly of any use except for their magic, which was all too quickly being drained from them. Sooner or later, they would all start dying off. It was a sad thought, but Sarben knew all too well that some were closer to death than they showed.

The once proud storm dragon sat miserably in her cage, letting out a sad croon here and there, longing to stretch her wings once more on the salty air of the ocean. It was rather unlikely she would ever see the ocean again. The little elf girl who had stuck to Saben's side since she arrived had not moved for several hours. Sarben no longer felt her magical life force, and he was afraid to even touch her, fearing her skin would be ice cold.

There had to be a way for Saben to escape and free everyone. There had to be a way. He wasn't going to let anyone suffer more if he had a say in things. But he had very little power, and with each passing day, that hope of being rescued or freeing everyone became smaller and smaller.

The room suddenly filled with lights, followed by the sound of quick footsteps as Palpatine rushed down into his lair.

"Soon, yes!" the old man muttered to himself as he shook something from a small pouch into his palm, the items clinking musically against each other.

Sarben groaned loudly. "You loony old man, you're in over your head. How much more power will you receive before it's too late?"

"More than you think." He cackled, holding up a single iridescent blue scale, "That mer is almost mine—and your own son will lead me right to it."

Sarben felt dread rise up. His son was doing the opposite of what was needed, and it was going to hurt a lot of people. "Mer scales are hard to come by. You almost had to have been handed them if they are indeed real."

"I was out on a disgusting fisherman's boat today with your son and his naïve little friend because they were discussing business with the captain. I'm his teacher and had to make sure he did at least some of his studies. Lucky for me, that mer he's been so enamored with got caught up in a fishing net and dumped right onto the deck. Your son, of course, set it free, but not before it lost some scales in its struggle. But no matter, he will lead me straight to it again." He set the scales down into a wooden dish on his work bench, then also taking out a folded napkin. Unfolding it showed a couple of long brown hairs he'd plucked from the queen's hairbrush. Then he walked over to pull some of Sarben's hairs out as well.

Sarben growled as the hair was plucked from him. "You're vile. What do you even plan to do with those scales?"

"Make your son happy." He said, looking at the hairs before laying them down on the napkin with the brown hairs. "I've been monitoring him closely, waiting, learning… He's in love with that mer and wishes he could join him in the ocean. Now that I have scales, I can make that happen, and all I'd have to do is track him right to the other mers."

He got out a cauldron and a book, flipping it open to find the spell he needed to make his concoction.

"You... You'd turn him into a shape shifter? But that's dangerous! Deadly even! I won't allow you to harm my son!" Sarben pulled against the chains, feeling them slightly give and letting him reach further. The wall was getting weak from him pulling on his chains so often.

"Yes, and if he dies, I'll be there to absorb his powers before they diminish, and I'll find another way to get my hands on that mer. Maybe reanimating the corpse to draw it in close enough to capture…" Palpatine stated as if it were nothing. "But I think he's strong enough. He's part elf but still mostly human, after all, that will only help him not die after he drinks the potion. Now, where did I put that old jar of ground unicorn horn? Ah!" he pulled a jar down from a shelf and began measuring out a very specific amount of the rare glittering dust his ancestors had collected before the unicorns had been hunted to extinction.

"You'd practice necromancy on my son just to capture a mer? Is it possible for you to do something lower than that? You're filthy, a disgrace to all humans. You have no right to live after all you've done just to experience what having natural magic feels like."

"Well, he wouldn't be using his body anymore, now would he?" Palpatine shrugged, "Now silent if you want me to make this potion correctly and lessen the chance at it killing your son."

"I hate you." Sarben feel back against the wall and looked down at the young elf girl. She still had not moved. "Poor girl just wanted to see her family again..."

"Oh don't be so dramatic, I can sense she is not dead." Palpatine drawled as he continued working, "And if you shut up I'll bring down an extra helping of food and water for her."

If the girl was still alive, she was going to need as much energy as she could get, and that alone made Sarben shut his mouth and think quietly to himself. He wanted her to be alive and well enough to see her parents again.

Palpatine worked for hours on his potion, the final ingredients being the ones of personalization.

"DNA of the mother and father of the drinker," he muttered to himself, taking the collection of hairs he had and dropping them into the cauldron, "and the magical makeup of the form he'll be able to take." He stated, dumping the scales in and stirring until the whole thing turned a deep sea green color.

Finished, he carefully poured it all into a bottle and corked it.

"I'll be back shortly with everyone's meals for the day. Do keep on behaving yourself, Sarben."

"Go die," Sarben hissed.

"Ah-ah, be careful the words you spit. They could land upon your own son easily."

"Fuck off!" Sarben charged at Palpatine with as much strength he could gather. The chains gave just a little more, some pieces off the wall falling to the floor.

Palpatine's face grew dark and he held up his hand, a pulse of dark magic flying out and knocking the half-elf back into the wall. Then he drew glowing runes in the air and sent it at the wall, fixing the damage and tightening the chains. "You have made a grave mistake, Sarban, and you will pay for it." He said before disappearing up the steps again.

Sarben whimpered as stood there against the wall, powerless as Palpatine left with the potion that was about to change many lives.

 

* * *

 

The beach was quiet that night. Anakin thought it miraculous he was able to escape the castle to go be on his own. Already news was spreading of the existence of mers, and Anakin had another spat with Owen at the dinner table. Overall, the day had not been kind to Anakin, and he felt he needed a break from everything, at least for a few hours.

As the waves crashed upon the sand, Anakin sighed and kicked his flip flops off. He welcomed the water's escape with open arms, removing his shirt before stepping into the water, then running until he could dive in and swim far away from the shore.

Anakin was floating back towards the surface with his eyes closed as he simply enjoyed the sensation of being in the water with honestly no care in the world. He was facing the sky, letting the water carry him as far away as he would let it.

The mer watching him sighed and swam under Anakin, reaching up and yanking him by the ankle down under. He knew the human would flail in panic at his actions, but he ignored it and pressed his lips to Anakin's, calming him and sharing some air before continuing the kiss.

As Anakin was pulled under, he didn't fight it. Strangely, he felt like he knew who it was who had pulled him down, and then when lips were on his, he relaxed himself even more. When they surfaced, he took a huge gasp, then after the calming the kissing started back up, and Anakin let Obi-Wan hold him under the surface fully. He put forth no effort in keeping himself up. All he focused on was kissing his merman. It started gently, but as time went on, the kissing grew fiercer, desperate, as if they would never get to kiss each other again, and in a way, it almost felt like that. With Obi-Wan being exposed, there was no telling what the future held.

"How bad is it?" Obi-Wan whispered once their kissing subsided for a moment. He even seemed to have forgotten that humans can't speak under water.

Anakin kicked so that they could talk above the water. "It's pretty bad… it's all over the news. Mers are no longer extinct."

Obi-Wan sighed, "Are they…going to start hunting us again?"

"I… I don't know…" Anakin leaned forward to rest his forehead on Obi-Wan's shoulder. "I'm so sorry."

"It's not your fault, Ani, you didn't cause this. It would have been worse if you hadn't been on that boat to save me from whatever those other humans had planned for me."

"You're not wrong there, but still. Humans know mers still exist now. You and your people are in danger now."

"And it's my fault…for not paying close enough attention to what was above me…" he pressed his face into Anakin's neck.

"Don't blame yourself. I actually told those guys not to go so far out to fish, but they didn't listen me. They said I was just a prince and that my commands didn't actually mean anything. Fuck them for not listening to me and for taking videos of you."

"And now it's harder for us to be together…" he pulled back and pushed wet curls back out of Anakin's face, "So many boats are on the water, now. So many nets to avoid…"

Anakin sighed and looked at Obi-Wan. "I have a job to do now, and it's come a lot sooner than I was anticipating. I need to make a statement to the world and let everyone know that mers can't be hunted again. Your population numbers are already so low from the last hunting, and I won't just stand by and watch the love of my life die because humans wanted mers for pets."

"We aren't animals, we aren't pets like sharks, crabs, and eels. We're people, just like humans, elves, and dwarfs."

"I don't know how humans got to be the dominant species because humans are fucking stupid when it comes to something new put in front of them. They kill without realizing it before it's too late."

"I'm glad you're not like that." Obi-Wan said, nuzzling him.

"Me too, but I hate being human sometimes. Especially now."

"You're not human, your part human, part elf. Focus on that part of you a little more when you feel like this. You are a good person, Ani, and I love you."

Anakin managed to smile. "I love you too."

The mer smiled and kissed him gain, long and gentle.

"Hey, let's go to the shore," Anakin said after a bit. "Floating out here is nice, but I want to sit now."

"It's safe?" Obi-Wan asked.

"If we go to the section that belongs to my family. It's blocked off at night so no one can get in."

Obi-Wan nodded, "Alright."

Being not too far from shore, Anakin started swimming back, motioning for Obi-Wan to follow. Together they swam until Anakin could sit in the water with his head well above the surface.

Obi-Wan, however, crawled along the sandy bottom, keeping low in the water as he looked around, making sure there were no other humans before he felt safe enough to sit up next to Anakin, curling his tail to the side comfortably.

Anakin leaned into Obi-Wan with a happy sigh. "I'm glad we met."

"I am too…and I hope we can make it through this—whatever we call this mess." Obi-Wan sighed.

"I hope so too. I would hate to lose you now."

"Mm," the mer hummed, hooking his arm with Anakin's, "I've grown far too attached to you to say goodbye."

"Same. If something were to happen to you... Well, I just hope nothing does happen."

"Anakin," Obi-Wan pulled away and shifted himself so he was facing the human head-on, "I don't—really know human or elf customs when it comes to this sort of thing but I'd be honored if you would agree to be my life mate, and allow me to be yours."

Anakin blinked. "Wait... Are you proposing to me?"

"I'm….asking you to be my life mate, if that's what 'proposing' means."

"Like, us getting married. Going past being boyfriends. Is that what you're asking of me?"

"Us being a couple, an extension of each other, partners in life, two that become one until death does part us."

"Holy shit you are asking me to marry you… Obi, I would love to, but we can't even be in the same environment together. I'm stuck on land and you in the water. I'm not saying it's impossible, but it'd be very hard."

"I don't care." The mer shook his head, "I've never felt this strongly for anyone before. I know we'll never be able to share a nest or build a home together, but I want to be with you as we can, and I want to have a family with you if fate allows it and I want us to just—be together."

Anakin pulled Obi-Wan in for a kiss. "Obi, I would love to be your life mate," he said after pulling back.

A relieved look replaced the nervous, unsure one on the mer's face, "Really?" he smiled.

"Yeah," Anakin said with a smile.

Obi-Wan tackled Anakin back into the water, kissing him and then rolling so Anakin was on top in case the human needed to go up for air.

Anakin laughed as he looked down at Obi-Wan. "I know we just met not long ago, but this has been the best relationship I've ever been in. I couldn't be happier right now."

"And you have my congratulations on your engagement." A voice interrupted.

Obi-Wan gasped, jumping and sitting up as he clung to his fiancé.

Palpatine held up a hand, "Apologies, I did not mean to startle you."

Anakin looked up at the older man who had approached the two of them silently. "Palpatine… I didn't hear you coming."

"Clearly you have been very distracted by your lovely merman." He said, gesturing towards them both, "I was looking for you inside and saw you on the beach from the window. Had I known you were meeting someone, I would have waited inside."

"Sorry, I…I had to get away for awhile." Anakin sighed as he held Obi-Wan tighter.

"I don't blame you a bit, my boy." He chuckled, "But I do have something for you, and maybe it is good that I give it to you now while you have your mer to discuss things with."

"What do you mean?"

"It's a big decision you'll have to make." Palpatine pulled out the potion he'd brewed. "Using those scales your friend here unfortunately lost earlier on the boat, I very carefully crafted a highly powerful potion for you from one of the very old spell books in my family's collection. If you drink this you would be able to join your mer in the water properly, but still be able to rejoin your family on land."

Anakin blinked. "You mean…like a shapeshifter? You're telling me I can actually become a merman and join Obi in the water?"

"Yes. You will remain a human biologically speaking, and you will not have the magic of a merman, but you would be able to shift between having legs and having a tail, and with the tail comes the ability to—erm, breathe underwater or whatever it is mers do. But the change will be very painful. You will be in agony for hours as you are forcefully shifted into your new secondary form. Not to mention that if you take this potion, it will be permanent and irreversible. As such too much time out of the water could cause you to feel dried out, even in human form, and other such side-effects."

"So if I take it, I'll be in pain for the first change. Will any changes after hurt?"

"Just the first one while the potion is taking effect. Once that is over with you'll be able to slip between the forms easily."

"And just like that I can easy join Obi in the water. This is great! We were literally just talking about this." Anakin looked excitedly at Obi-Wan. "I can join you in the water now!"

"But—are you sure it's safe?" Obi-Wan asked, "I don't know much about that kind of magic…"

"Oh, it's perfectly safe unless you count the agony of that first few hours." Palpatine assured them. "But if you have no more questions about it, I'll leave it to you two to discuss. I'll be inside if you need me further."

Anakin looked back at Palpatine with a wide smile. "Thank you so much!"

"Of course—oh, and one more thing I suggest you make sure you are in a comfortable location if you decide to drink this." He said, handing the bottle to Anakin, "Soundproof would be good, too—and maybe a tub of water seeing as you'll be turning into a mer."

Obi-Wan frowned, "And what if I were the one to take it?"

Palpatine leveled a serious look, "You could very well die. The potion is not designed to turn mers into humans, and it could react very badly with your magic as yours is very different than that of a human's or a part-human."

"It's okay," Anakin reassured. "I'll be the only one to take it, I promise."

"Good, I wouldn't want to be the one responsible for the death of the merman you so obviously love." He bowed before walking away, a dark grin on his face.

Anakin's smile faded as he watched Palpatine leave. "That was odd… but now we have something that will bring us together, Obi!"

"I'm still nervous about you using magic that neither of us are familiar with." Obi-Wan said, dipping his head down to look at the potion, his earfin twitching.

"Obi, this opportunity may never come back up again. This is a chance at being together in the same environment. I know it's strange magic, but this will give us what we've been wanting!"

"I know." He sighed, taking the bottle and uncorking it to give it a sniff before corking it back up. "It smells like the ocean…nothing fishy there…"

Glancing back up at Anakin he pressed the bottle back into his hands, "If this is what you want to do, then I'll support your choice."

"I want more than anything for us to be together now, and with this potion, we'll be able to be together for much longer, and in the same environment." Anakin looked at the bottle, hesitant for a bit. "If this is going to hurt… we should look for the best place to start the transition."

"You could do it back inside your castle, or the marshbloom cave is someplace private—though it's not comfortable at all. But no matter where you do it, when you come to the Ocean again, I'll teach you to swim properly."

"I could do it in my bathroom. Nobody goes in there but me, and the walls are mostly part of the exterior of the castle. It'd be pretty soundproof and safe."

Obi-Wan nodded and kissed his cheek, "Alright. I'll come back tomorrow night to meet you and we can see how well it worked together." He said, relieved he wouldn't have to watch his love go through such pain, but also regretting not being able to try and help him through it.

"Great! I'm sure we won't regret this." Smiling wide, Anakin kissed Obi-Wan and hugged him tight. "Maybe this will make things right for mers, or at least help."

Obi-Wan nodded and pulled Anakin into a deep kiss again, "I should go; Father didn't want me out too long after the boat thing happened." He whispered.

Anakin nuzzled Obi-Wan and sighed. "Go, I don't want you getting in trouble. I'll see you tomorrow night."

Obi-Wan nodded and paused before kissing him again. "Goodnight—I hope it's not too unbearable for you." He whispered before he was gone.

 

* * *

 

Anakin stared at the bottle in his hands as he sat on the edge of the bathtub in his bathroom. He had the tub filled with water, and he had told his family he was going to take a bath, so he was hoping no one would disturb him. He wished he had asked how to actually switch between human and mer forms. All he knew was the potion was going to change his form to mer. He had no clue how to return to human form.

Sighing he shook his head. He'd figure it out. He was smart, and he did possess a small bit of magic in him. Perhaps if he willed himself to change, he would.

Anakin reminded himself that he was doing this for Obi-Wan. His heart was pounding in his chest as he set the bottle to the side and he stripped all his clothes off. He made sure the bathroom door was locked before he stepped into the tub and sat down. A couple deep breaths were taken, and then he grabbed the bottle and opened it. The liquid inside looked like the most magical thing he had seen. It sparkled and almost seemed to glow. It was definitely something that would be more likely spotted in child's picture book than in real life.

He took one final deep breath and downed the whole bottle in one drink. He grimaced at the taste, but he drank every last drop, setting the bottle to the side when he had finished. Then he waited for the transformation to begin.

At first there was no pain, only a few itchy spots here and there. About half an hour into the process though, Anakin started to feel pain in his legs. It felt like growing pains to start, then the pain grew in intensity, feeling like his legs were being pulled off his body. He groaned and grabbed the edge of the tub for support. His eyes squeezed tight for a few seconds. There was no noticeable change yet, but Anakin could definitely feel the change happening. After a bit, the pain subsided, giving the blond a chance to relax.

"That wasn't so bad," he muttered to himself. If that was the most painful it got, he could handle the pain.

Of course, he was wrong, and shooting pain caught him by surprise that ripped through his body like an electric shock, only a thousand times worse. He cried out, both surprised and in great pain. This pain felt like his whole body was being ripped in half. It was like he could feel his own DNA changing and rearranging to create the genetic makeup of a mer. His eyes were closed for most of the time, and he'd let out a whimper every once in a while. He bit his lip quite hard sometimes. He was surprised no blood was being drawn. When he did manage to open his eyes, he saw that his legs were started to get covered in scales. They looked dark blue, sparkling in the florescent lights of his bathroom when he moved his legs just right.

The pain stopped once more, but Anakin knew his change was nowhere near complete. He was able to get a good look at his legs, though they were starting to look less like legs and more like a tail.

The next wave of pain seemed to increase in intensity even more than the last. He cried out again, and his hands slipped off the edge of the tub. With his eyes closed once more, teeth clenched tight, Anakin could feel his legs fusing into a tail. He tried to keep his cries of pain in, but the pain at that point was too great for him to really focus on keeping quiet. At least his room was away from other bedrooms.

After the tail had manifested, fins began to grow out. Anakin had tears in his eyes, the fins growing feeling the most painful. They grew out of the sides of the tail, towards the bottom, and one in the back that felt like it grew right out of his spine. When he could collect himself, Anakin reached back to find that the fin in the back had indeed grown right from the base of his spine. He groaned and tried to grip the edge of the tub once more, but another wave of pain hit him, and his hands missed the edge, sending him sliding down and water splashing everywhere, the bottle that was on the edge of the tub tumbling to the floor and breaking once it hit the tile.

Anakin gasped as one last wave of pain hit him, causing him to slip even more and his head went under the surface. Instinctively he held his breath, but as the pain finally faded away, he opened his eyes again, blinked, and let out all his air. He watched the bubble float to the surface, and with a moment's pause, he breathed in. A smile crossed his lips, and he let out a little laugh.

Anakin's transformation was complete. From then on, no more pain would accompany the transformation, and Anakin sure was glad for that. He sat up and sighed, breathing in oxygen while feeling the gills that had grown on his neck. Though the transformation didn't make him look fully mer, he looked very close to one, and he figured that was good enough for him. At least he would be able to be in the water with Obi-Wan a lot longer than usual.

Now there was only one thing left to figure out; how did he change back to a human?

* * *

To be continued…


	10. Chapter 10

"Dad? Are you awake?" Obi-Wan asked as he floated above the edge of his father's sleeping nest. He couldn't sleep, tossing and turning in his nest until he gave up. And when he did get a little sleep, he had nightmares about Anakin.

Qui-Gon mumbled something, likely nonsense as he woke up.

The redhead pulled himself into his father's nest, curling up with him like he used to when he was young and had bad dreams or thought there was a sea monster hiding in the room. "Dad?"

The older mer yawned and cracked open his eyes. "Obi? Something the matter?"

"Nightmares." He muttered, "So much has happened…"

"Ah, well snuggle close. Do you want to talk about it?"

Obi-Wan nodded, "I'm worried about Anakin."

"Why are you worried? Is it about you being discovered by the humans?"

"No, it's more that…he's decided to try a magic I'm unfamiliar with. I'm worried it'll go wrong."

"He has? It's not dark magic, is it?"

"No, I saw it, felt it. I sensed nothing dark or unnatural about it. But it's powerful." Obi-Wan reassured.

"Do you know what it'll do to him?"

"The man who gave it to him says that if he consumes it…he'll be able to shift between human form and a more mer-like form so he could join me in the water…"

Qui-Gon sat up a little. "Shape shifting magic? Oh dear..."

"What?" Obi-Wan sat up, biting his lip.

"Well usually shape shifting is a natural process, the aid of magic isn't needed. Unless you're a creature who does not possess the natural ability to shape shift, of course."

"Well, that makes sense, but why did you say 'oh dear'?"

"Because... You need a lot of things for a potion that will turn you into a shape shifter, very specific things. It's a deadly kind of magic if it's used wrong or has the wrong ingredients."

"But if it's made correctly, it's safe, right?"

"Depends. If the man who gave Anakin the magic wants him dead, well I think you can complete that series of events." Qui-Gon sighed. "However, I wouldn't jump to conclusions just yet. Perhaps this man knows how much you mean to Anakin."

"Anakin and I…decided to become life mates. I think the man overheard that as he approached when we were celebrating with kisses…"

"You two are quite serious about each other, aren't you?" Qui-Gon smiled and pulled Obi-Wan into a hug. "I worry for you, but I'm also happy you found someone who makes you happy."

"He's amazing, Dad. He really is. I love him far more than I thought possible. But that's also why I worry for him. He was going to consume that potion tonight, and all I can think about when I close my eyes is it all going wrong."

"I think he's smart enough to know when something is wrong. Don't worry too much for him, or all you'll do is worry."

"I try, but—I don't want to lose him now that I've found my soulmate."

"I know. Have faith in him, and go see him tomorrow. Again, stop worrying so much about him."

"Trying…" he sighed, "Can I sleep with you tonight? Cuddling always helps calm me."

"Of course you can. You can sleep with me whenever you need."

"Thanks, dad." Obi-Wan smiled, snuggling into his father as they settled in for the night all over again.

 

* * *

 

"Well, look who finally has decided to grace us with his presence." Owen said as Anakin walked into the dinning hall for lunch.

"Why don't you waste your energy on something other than talking down at me?" Anakin rolled his eyes as he walked in.

"I wasn't the one up all night moaning like a whore. Did you get any sleep at all, or were you jerking it to the idea that mermaids still exist until dawn?"

"I don't know what you're talking about..." Anakin huffed as he sat down.

"I walked by your room last night when I got back late. I heard you."

"You probably just heard my TV. I had a movie playing... It was a horror movie..."

"Right." Owen rolled his eyes.

"Don't you have anything better to do? Why do you always have to pick on me when I enter the room?"

Owen shrugged, "You're my little stepbrother." He said simply as he stabbed a cherry tomato in his salad with a fork.

"That's it? That's your only reason for picking on me? Because you can?" Anakin scoffed. "Some brother you are..."

"You're the one that takes it so personal all the time. This is what big brothers _do_ , Anakin. Sure, I wasn't happy when my dad suddenly married your mom. We were happy as we were and then the wedding came out of nowhere and we got stuck with each other." He said, pointing the speared tomato at him.

"You never made an effort to even try to like me. I was just a little kid, so the least you could have done was pretend to like me so I wasn't crushed every time I asked you to play."

"Idiot, I do like you. I think you're an over-sensitive idiot, but I like you."

Anakin blinked. "You do? Like you actually like me? You're not just saying that to try to make up for my childhood?"

"Why would I lie? Sure, I never had interest in playing with you when you were a brat, but I went out of my way to protect you. Didn't you ever wonder why those bullies at your old public school stopped bothering you? That was me. And after that jackass attacked you on your birthday—I was the one that found him and I let my fist give him a piece of my mind before I turned him over to the authorities."

"You… you caught that Corellian? Owen, I had no idea…" Anakin sank into his chair. "Thank you."

"I did, and I personally made sure he was, in fact, marched onto the plane that took him back to Corellia where he would face punishment. No one but me gets to pick on you."

Anakin got up from his chair and went around to Owen, where he threw his arms around his older brother and hugged him tight. "Thank you," he whispered.

"Uhg, you're getting your sappiness all over me." He complained, though his lips twitched in a hint of a smile.

"Shut up and let me hug you." Anakin smiled as he pulled back. "Maybe you're not as bad as you make yourself seem."

"Shush, you'll expose me. I have a rep to keep up, you know?" he said, messing Anakin's curls aggressively.

"Hey, you're gonna ruin my perfect hair." Anakin laughed as he playfully tried to reach for Owen's hair to mess his up.

"Ha! Your hair is in a constant state of bedhead or 'just got back from drowning in the ocean'." He shot back what Anakin now knew was a tease.

"Your hair makes you look like an old man," Anakin said with a smirk.

"You know, I'll make a man out of you, yet." He smirked, "Now ho sit down and eat before our parents get here and think we're getting along."

Anakin rolled his eyes as he returned to his seat right as their parents walked in.

"You two aren't fighting again, are you?" Shmi sighed, spotting the two.

"Hard not to when he's being over-dramatic about every other thing." Owen muttered.

"You're the one who started talking first," Anakin fired back.

"Boys…" Shmi sighed, "Can we please have a nice lunch today?"

"I'll try—if he does." Owen huffed, throwing a wink at Anakin.

"Yeah sure, whatever." Anakin gave Owen a knowing glance.

Shmi sat down next to Anakin, "Feeling better?" she asked him, "You slept so long this morning I was starting to wonder if you came down with a cold or something."

"I'm fine, Mom. Just didn't get much sleep last night is all."

"That's good. You've had a lot of stress lately, and that can sometimes make you more susceptible to catching a bug."

"I'll be fine, don't worry about me." Anakin smiled at his mother.

"If you're sure." She sighed, "Any plans for today?"

The blond shrugged. "Not really. I may go talk to Palpatine though."

"About your studies? You're not slacking off on your school work, are you?" Owen said.

"No, of course not. I know when I need to study."

"Is it because of the news that mers are real?" Cliegg asked.

"Kinda, yeah... I guess I have something to confess now. Mom already knows but..." Anakin hesitated, a bit too long.

"You're not pregnant, are you?" Owen finally joked, just to break the increasing silence.

"No, that's impossible." Anakin rolled his eyes. "That merman that was on the video... I know him. I'm dating him, actually."

"You're…dating a… _mer_ man?" Owen and his father both repeated.

"Yeah... I'm dating a merman. I hope that's not too weird for you guys."

"I mean, I had a feeling you were gay, but can humans and mers even…fit together?" Owen asked.

Cliegg choked, "That is not an appropriate question to ask over lunch, Owen!"

"Who said my relationship with a merman had to include sex, Owen? Maybe I don't want sex from him."

"I just mean—have you _had_ sex? It's bloody wonderful if you ask me. I for sure would want to know whomever I was dating would be able to do it with me if we both agree we're ready to."

"I've not had sex... But he and I have talked briefly about it. Mers are kind of like intersex people. They can assume whatever position depending on their partner or the population."

"Interesting twist…"

Anakin nodded. "But just because I know that doesn't mean I want to have sex with him. Relationships aren't built on sex you know."

"Sure, sure, but sex is the juicy cherry on top."

"Maybe to you. I wouldn't know, because like I said, I've never had sex with anyone."

"We'll, you should try it—though I don't know how it'd be with a fish lower half…"

Anakin shrugged. "I'd imagine it'd be similar to a human lower half, in terms of...where."

"But—no legs… Oh, they aren't slimy like a fish are they?"

"No they're not. More like a snake, but softer."

"Okay, and now I'm imag—"

"Can we please get off the topic of sex while having a family lunch?" Shmi interrupted, her face flushed.

Anakin looked at his mother. "Sorry...I guess we got carried away."

"Of course you did—you're young hormonal boys." Cliegg laughed, "But that's something more for you two to bond over away from your mother. She may turn into a tomato if you keep it up here."

"Yeah, I suppose we can talk this afternoon, if Owen wants to give his little brother some sex tips." Anakin smirked at Owen.

Owen shrugged, "Okay so go on and finish telling us what you started."

"Well I just wanted to tell all of you that I'm dating a merman and that I hope you guys don't find it weird that I am." Anakin shrugged as he picked at his meal.

"Unlikely, there's more, I know there is." Owen said.

"That's it. I wanted to tell you with the recent news of mers not being extinct."

"Hmm, don't believe you." Owen decided.

"Believe what you want. I told what I wanted to tell."

"And I'll make my own conclusions." He shoveled the last bite of food into his mouth and stood up, "I have some work to get back to. See you all at supper."

Anakin watched his brother leave, then he sighed.

"You okay, Ani?" Shmi asked.

"Yeah, I just hoped he didn't actually have work to do. Oh well." Anakin looked at his mother again and smiled. "I'll catch him another time."

She raised an eyebrow at her son, "You were…hoping to spend time with him? You haven't wanted that since you were a boy."

"Well we talked a little before you guys came in here. Don't let him know I told you that though. His ego would be crushed."

"Oh, I see." She nodded. "But you know, I do agree with him that you are holding something back that you want to tell us on some level. I won't force you to, but you know you can always talk to your family about anything." She reminded him.

"I'm not holding anything back," Anakin said. "And I know I can talk to you guys. I promise I'm not hiding anything," he lied.

She frowned, "Did you and your boyfriend have a fight?"

"No, Mom. We're just as in love as we were before. We didn't fight, nothing happened. We're both worried for our future together, yes, but that's a given."

"Okay." She nodded, patting his forearm, "As long as you're happy."

"I am, so don't worry." Anakin stood up and hugged his mother after he was done eating. "I'll be in my room if you need me."

"Alright." She nodded.

* * *

To be continued…


	11. Chapter 11

Anakin felt the dry sand beneath his feet, and he couldn't help but loathe it. Ever since he drank that potion, he found himself drinking a lot more water than usual, and he was using lotion to keep his skin hydrated. He didn't like the lotion much, but at least he was staying hydrated, and that was all that mattered. Soon he was going to be back in the water, and all that lotion could wash off until he needed more.

As soon as he reached the water, he looked out over the water and smiled. "Obi-Wan? You out here?"

"Did it work?" Obi-Wan's voice asked as a head popped up over a grouping of rocks where he had been hiding, "Nothing went wrong?"

"Well, nothing so far." Anakin smirked and put his hands on his hips.

"So nothing happened?" Obi-Wan asked, swimming closer and feeling disappointed he couldn't share his world with his soon-to-be life mate.

"Why don't you just see for yourself?" Anakin took off running towards the rocks Obi-Wan was near, and he dove into the water, some of his clothes flying off as he hit the water.

"Anakin?" Obi-Wan blinked, picking up the soaking shirt floating in the water and looking at it before down at the water. Anakin hadn't come up yet, so he ducked under himself to look for his human lover.

Anakin came up behind Obi-Wan and tapped his shoulder, a wide smile on his face.

Obi-Wan turned around so fast his long hair lingered in front of his face, blocking his view a little longer than he liked, but once it had drifted off to the side, his jaw dropped at the sight of dark blue scales against Anakin's beautifully tanned skin.

Anakin laughed. "The potion worked!"

Obi-Wan pulled Anakin over to where the moonlight was diffused in the water better so he could get a good look. "Your ears are not earfins…but they are pointier like an elf's than before…" he observed out loud as he swam around, looking his mate over, "Nice powerful long tail—the color looks good on you, too. How does it feel?"

"I feel great, like this is what I'm supposed to be. It's awesome!"

Obi-Wan smiled and embraced him tight, tail wrapping around Anakin's in the way he never tried before in fear of breaking his human legs. After all, he didn't know how durable such appendages were. "How well can you swim? Do you need help with learning?"

"I haven't tried swimming much yet, actually. I mean I can swim pretty good, but I'm not quite used to going so fast yet." Anakin shrugged.

"Let me see. I just keep imagining you swimming like a mer pup." He giggled.

Anakin nodded and turned to swim away. He struggled at first, but he eventually got his tail going to propel him around in the water much faster than he had been able to before.

"Not quite as bad as a pup." Obi-Wan nodded before moving over to him to help guide him through the basics of swimming like a merman.

Soon Anakin was swimming better as a mer, and he was loving every second of it. He truly felt alive as a mer, and he felt more connected to the natural magic that ran through his body.

After they swam together a little more, Anakin slowed and pulled Obi-Wan in close. "Finally we can be together..."

"Properly, even if you can rush away onto the land where I can't follow." Obi-Wan chuckled, enjoying the sensation of resting against Anakin while fully under water and not having to worry about Anakin's lack of air.

"We don't have to worry about keeping me towards the surface anymore."

"Or going up to talk where humans can see. We can stay safer down here now." He reached up to cup Anakin's cheek. "I was so worried I could barely sleep last night."

"You don't have to worry so much anymore now. The transformation was successful, and now we can be together."

"We can build a home together, too. At least for when you are not on land with your family and friends up there."

"What do you use to build homes down here? Rocks?"

"Clay infused with small stones and shells. A small amount of magic goes into the walls as well to help keep the waters from eroding them over time."

"Nice, so we can build a home that's going to survive over time. Not that I doubted mers had modern building techniques like on land."

"I don't know about modern, as this is the way we built homes and other buildings for as far back as our records show." Obi-Wan shrugged.

"Really? Well I guess that does make sense, since you've been hiding from humans for a long time, and technology on land has advanced quite a bit in the last few hundred years."

"We've noticed… your boats aren't made the same anymore. Less wood. And those rather intrusive ones that can dive under brought us a whole new worry about keeping ourselves hidden."

"Submarines? The ones that send out sonar pings?"

"Is that what they are called? We just call them 'dive boats'.

"Yeah, submarines. They're used a lot with military branches dealing with water."

Mers are not fans of those. Boats should stay up top." Obi-Wan sighed. "But moving on. How long can you stay in the water with me before you have to go back?"

"I've got a while. I do need sleep tonight, but I can be with you for a while more. Besides, I like it here in the water better." Anakin smiled.

"You know you can sleep in the water now, right?" Obi-Wan chuckled.

"That… never occurred to me actually. But where would we sleep? I don't think taking me to your home is a good idea right now…"

"You don't?"

"Well, I mean I don't look exactly like a mer. Sure I got the tail and the fins, but I don't have ears like yours. Also would I bring any accidental threat to anyone, being a new mer coming into your home?"

"No, human illnesses don't affect mers."

"That's good." Anakin sighed and paced a little, or at least the mer equivalent of pacing. "I don't know, I just don't want to scare anyone, that's all. I know I look mostly mer, and it's enough to pass as one, but I feel like I make one wrong move and everyone is gonna know I'm not actually a mer."

"Oh Ani," Obi-Wan pulled him to a stop and smiled, "Everyone already knows you're not. After all that's happened, I had to let them all know that I was caught by a hunting net and now humans know we are still here, but I escaped because my part-elf mate saved me. And my father mentioned the shapeshifting."

"So… everyone is cool with this then?"

"Many are cautious about it, but no one became upset. I think it helped a lot that you aren't fully human, and have some elf in you."

"I see. Well… I guess if the other mers are okay with it, I suppose it wouldn't hurt to introduce me."

"My father specifically wishes to meet you. After all, we're going to become life-mates soon, and you'll be family."

"Then I guess I should meet your dad then." Anakin smiled as he grabbed Obi-Wan's hands.

"And sometime I should meet your mom. It's important our families meet each other before we make our commitment together official." Obi-Wan said. "Oh, and little warning…we have to go through very cold waters to get home. It's very unpleasant."

"Then I'll just stick close to you." Anakin smirked as he hooked his arm with Obi-Wan's.

"It'll also be dark, and we need to be quiet, so you definitely can't let go of my hand. You'll get lost." Obi-Wan chuckled, though he was serious.

"I had no intentions of letting go. Lead the way."

Obi-Wan nodded and began guiding Anakin through the waters.

It didn't take long for visibility to go down to none. Anakin made sure he kept a tight grip on Obi-Wan's hand. He wasn't about to get lost in the ocean his second night of being a mer.

It was a long swim as they couldn't go as fast as Obi-Wan normally would be able to go. Anakin's tail muscles just hadn't been built up enough for that kind of speed, yet. But finally they reached the secret entrance to the mer city and Obi-Wan let go of Anakin's hand so he could activate the magic blocking the entrance, the glow of the city below lighting up their faces before Obi-Wan pulled Anakin inside and the entry closed back up.

"We're here, and safe now." Obi-Wan said, finally breaking the silence.

As they entered, Anakin was in awe of the city. The magical glow made the experience much more whimsical than the blond could have even imagined. For how few mers Obi-Wan had made it seem there were, Anakin though there had to be thousands living in just this one city.

"This is where you live? It's spectacular... So much magic is flowing through this place."

"We have to keep the magic strong here. We are far deeper than where we naturally live and feel the most comfortable. We have magic heating the waters in here, and creating light that mimics the sun and moon. We even have some that makes the pressure feel less overwhelming." Obi-Wan took Anakin's hand and started guiding him down closer as he began to point areas of the city out. "Over there are the professions' shops where we trade services and goods, there is the great meeting hall where important discussions and news is distributed, and over here is the residential area. It's very crowded because our space is so limited, but we do what we can."

"Do you live in the same home as your dad then?"

"Yeah, we have a smaller home, but there is only two of us."

"Were there more of you in that home before? Like siblings, adopted or blood related?"

"I have two older brothers. The oldest is also adopted, but the middle had been Father's birth son with his mate Tahl. She passed when I was very young and so I didn't know her well. Feemor, my oldest brother migrated to another mer city far off because his mate wished to live in more tropical waters. My other brother Xanatos…well, he's sort of the black sheep of the family. Broke some mer laws and was exiled. We don't have contact with him anymore."

"Oh… Well I hope that he's not having too hard a time being exiled." Anakin shook his head. "But I have news about my brother. He and I spoke earlier, and we came to an understanding about each other. He actually made sure that guy who attacked me on my birthday got the punishment he deserved, which I didn't know until we talked."

"Good." Obi-Wan nodded, "And I'm glad you seem to have found peaceful ground between you and your brother."

"I'm glad too. He's still a hardass though." Anakin chuckled as they grew closer to the residential section of the city. The lights were dimmer here, but it still felt homey and safe. Anakin felt like he could almost live in the mer city.

"Father and I live this way." Obi-Wan said, leading the way between the buildings stacked high, similar to skyscraper apartments. The one he swam to was abut seven levels up from the ground, and he opened the large clam shell that served as a door to let Anakin inside.

Anakin swam inside, stopping just to the side of the door. "Cozy place."

"We try." Obi-Wan smiled. "Dad, you home?"

No answer came.

"Dad must still be in the trade district, maybe getting some of our tuna prepped for dinner." The redhead decided, "Well, this is our main room, and back through here is where our sleeping nests are. Over there is our storage room for food."

"You sleep in nests? Can I see?" Anakin asked as he floated towards the room the nests were in.

"The one in the back corner is mine." Obi-Wan nodded as he followed Anakin, "It's quite comfortable to curl up in."

With little hesitation, the blond moved over to Obi-Wan's nest and curled up in it. "Wow, you're not kidding. This is comfortable."

"Told you." He chuckled, using his arms to crawl along over the nest and then pull himself down into it to curl up with Anakin. It was a tight fit as the nest wasn't quite big enough for two, but he managed to settle in with a smile, anyway.

Anakin wrapped his arms around Obi-Wan and hugged him with a happy sigh. "This is really nice…"

"I'll work on expanding my nest a little more for when you stay with me for the night." Obi-Wan promised.

"Hopefully your Dad won't mind when I do."

"Why would he mind? An extra mouth to feed? I assure you he quite enjoys meals with friends and family."

"Well, considering I'm gonna be your life mate, I'm just concerned about how he takes to someone dating his son." Anakin shrugged.

"Ani, you saved me from the humans. Pretty sure you've won him over already."

"You know, I think I'm worrying too much about not being accepted by the mers. I need to stop." Anakin chuckled.

"You do." Obi-Wan purred, rubbing their noses together.

"I took that potion so I could become a mer. I fit in, and I need to realize that. It's just taking me a while to do so…"

"You may not have mer magic, but you would be considered a magical being, just as mers are." Obi-Wan added.

"I don't even know what kind of magic I have, to be honest. Besides, it's a small amount. It doesn't add up to much."

"You have some human magic, some elf magic, and now the ability to shift between two forms. I think you're more powerful than you think. You just haven't trained and exorcized your powers."

Anakin shrugged. "I don't have a proper teacher. Sure you could teach me, or my tutor could, but I feel like the best teacher I could have would be my dad, and he's not around anymore for me to learn from him."

"I know." Obi-Wan nodded, "He would be the best teacher for you because he knows your magic. Your magic came from his magic."

"Too bad bringing someone back from the dead is like dark magic or something like that. Assuming my dad is dead, that is."

"Necromancy is not to be messed with. They never come back right—mindless cannibals that attack without thought—and are impossible to reason with. They are monsters that are not easily killed. So yes, it is one of the darkest of magics."

"Why does that type of magic even exist? If it's so bad, why even use it?"

"According to history—humans…being selfish and not wanting to let go of those they lost and starting to mess with magic in unnatural ways."

"I know it's sad to lose a loved one, but I would think that bringing them back from the dead would be torture for the one who died."

"It's disrespectful at the least. I hope you're dad is out there, somewhere, but if not—he's resting peacefully in whatever afterlife he believes in."

Anakin nodded in agreement, then he yawned. "I would like to think he's still out there…"

"Maybe you can find him. I'd like to meet him as well if he is out there."

"Maybe. But from what Mom told me, he was taken to a holding camp where magical races are kept away from humans… and most are never heard from again."

"That doesn't mean you can't try to find him and free him from that camp he was sent to."

"I guess. I don't think it'd look too suspicious."

"I hope you can find him."

"Well, the least I can do is try, whether I find him alive or dead."

"You'll at least get closure if he is gone. It's better than nothing." Obi-Wan said, touching his fingertips to Anakin's cheek.

Anakin nodded, leaning into the touch and closing his eyes.

Obi-Wan smiled and leaned in, pressing his lips to Anakins—only to jerk away as a loud voice called out from the main room.

"Hey Obi-runt!"

Obi-Wan groaned, "Go away, Quin."

"That's not nice. I only just got back from my travels around city to city! Heard a little rumor about you."

A merman with brown skin and thick hair in dreadlocks stuck his head in the door and grinned, a patch of yellow scales streaking across his nose and cheeks that matched his yellow tail. "Hey."

Anakin sat up quickly, though the action sent him floating out of the nest. His eyes were wide. "Obi... Who's this?"

"An annoyance." Obi-Wan sighed.

"I missed you, too." The mer grinned, swimming over and plopping himself right on the edge of the nest. "Quinlan, an old friend of Obi's." he introduced himself to Anakin, "You must be that land dweller everyone's talking about."

"Everyone? Boy, I must be popular down here now. I'm Anakin."

"They say you're a part human who saved Obi-Wan here from other humans so Obi-Wan here decided to mate ya."

"I decided I wanted him as my mate before the incident with the human hunters and their net." Obi-Wan defended.

"Well, yes I did save him, but now mers are exposed. Humans know you exist now, and it's going to be tough to stop them from hunting you down for either your scales and magic or for keeping you as pets."

"Eh," he shrugged, "I'm not too worried. But I also enjoy living on the dangerous side."

"You don't want to live on the wild side when humans are hunting you. Hell, I might be in danger now that I'm able to take the form of a mer."

"Oh, no doubt. Humans won't count you as a human, if they are still the way they were back before we had to dive deeper to hide from them." Quinlan shrugged. "My advice is don't go showing off your tail."

"Well yeah. Only one human knows I can change my form."

"Hope it's one you can trust." Quinlan said. Moving around the couple and looking at them before grinning, "Hey Obi, even this human has a longer tail than you. You're just so small!"

Obi-Wan flushed and grumbled, "I'm not that small anymore."

"Is tail size a significant factor in like finding a mate or something?" Anakin asked as he shifted to sit up more.

"Longer tails are a desirable trait as in the distant past before mers became civilized rather than primitive, longer tails made it better for survival. They can make a mer swim at faster speeds and those with shorter tails who swam slower were more likely to be targeted by predators." Obi-Wan huffed, "I was born small, and never quite caught up to the mers my own age by the time I reached the age where we no longer grow. Quinlan here likes to tease me about it."

"Most other mers Obi's size are about fourteen-fifteen years old, mers stop growing around twenty-twenty-one. That makes Obi officially adorable." Quinlan smirked.

"I thought his tail was long before I met any other mers."

"Well, I was the first mer you had ever seen, so that's not surprising." Obi-Wan smiled at him, "Though I really would be self-conscious about my tail if they were only as long as human legs are, like you had thought."

"Yeah, I mean all movies that humans have made about mers give them tails as long as human legs, so that's the only image I had to go off of."

"What's a movie?" Quinlan asked.

"It's like a bunch of moving pictures put together to make one continuous line of motion.  They're quite popular on land."

"…Sounds strange." The mer shrugged before looking at Obi-Wan, "So, you two going to have any pups to name after me?"

Anakin's eyes widened as he made a surprised sound, his face flushing. "Uh… I don't think babies are on our minds…"

"Aw, come on, think of the cute little chirps and barks pups make before they learn to speak!"

"It's not something we have discussed yet, Quin." Obi-Wan said, "We have plenty of time to decide."

"I just turned twenty-one, I barely have my life together, so I'm nowhere near ready to be a dad," Anakin nearly squeaked.

"….Humans don't have pups as early adults?" Quinlan asked with a tilt of his head.

"Well, some do. Some have kids in their early teens, which I don't think is the greatest idea, but I'm not one to judge them. It's their choice, and my choice is to not worry about having kids until later on."

"Well, when you do decide, name it after me!" Quinlan stated.

"I'm not naming my pup after a blowhole!" Obi-Wan said, using his tail to 'kick' his friend off his nest.

"If I were to name my kid after anyone… it'd be my dad," Anakin said.

"What is your dad's name?" Obi-Wan asked.

"Sarben," Anakin replied with a smile. "I learned his name recently actually."

"That's a nice name." Obi-Wan nodded.

"Obi-Wan? Did you leave the door wide open?" Qui-Gon suddenly called out.

"Oh hey, Daddy-o!" Quinlan said, moving to stick his head out of the nesting room, "Long time no see! Is that tuna?"

"Hello, Quin. Yes it is. Would you like some? I'm sure we have plenty to share." Qui-Gon smiled.

"Yeah! I'm always up for a good meal I don't have to hunt myself." He grinned, already moving over to the eating area.

"Hey dad, Quin's not the only surprise guest tonight." Obi-Wan said, pulling Anakin with him.

Anakin stuck close to Obi-Wan, as he was nervous to meet Qui-Gon for the first time. He looked a bit intimidating with his long greying hair and scars from many battles with prey and predators alike. "Hi," he managed to say.

"So you're the land boy. It's a pleasure to meet you finally." Qui-Gon offered his hand to Anakin with a friendly smile.

Anakin shook it with a small smile.

"Ani, this is my father, Qui-Gon, Dad, this is my soon-to-be life mate, Anakin." Obi-Wan introduced as the two shook hands.

"I have to say I'm very grateful for you saving my boy," Qui-Gon said. "If it hadn't been for you, I don't think obi would have returned home the day the humans caught him."

"He would have ended up as a pet if I wasn't there," Anakin said, looking at Obi-Wan.

"Or worse." Obi-Wan added, leaning into his mate's side.

Anakin nuzzled Obi-Wan fondly, closing his eyes briefly.

"At least he is home safe now." Qui-Gon smiled as he moved towards the eating area. "So, Anakin, are you to be staying with us tonight?"

"For a little bit. I don't know if I'll be staying the night. I still have to go back to the surface so my family doesn't suspect anything."

"You should let your mother know, at least." Obi-Wan suggested, "That way you can stay the night without worrying her."

He guided Anakin over to the eating area and settled in, taking a small strip of prepared tuna and offering it to Anakin, "It's not raw." He stated.

"Good. I don't think I could have handled eating raw fish." Anakin chuckled as he took the tuna.

"We like to prepare our food whenever possible. It just brings out more flavors." Obi-Wan shrugged.

"Modern cooking techniques. I love it." Anakin smiled as he took a part of the tuna and popped it into his mouth. Breathing and talking underwater he had gotten used to after only a day of being a mer, but eating underwater was a new experience, and at first all he could taste was the salt water cover his tongue. Then as the water filtered out of his mouth, the true flavor of the tuna pulled through, and the taste was far better than tuna he had eaten on land above water. He couldn't help but smile more.

"Good?" Qui-Gon asked.

"Very. I've never had tuna this good before. What all did you do to it?"

"There's a water heating spell where if used in a small area, can get boiling hot, like where lava touches the ocean waters. We use that on the meat of the fish or crustacean—and add in a few gathered plants we grind into a paste and place on the meat when we feel like changing the flavor up a bit." Qui-Gon explained.

"I'd love to learn some time, assuming I can do that type of magic. My magic is… kinda mixed." Anakin shrugged as he ate more of his tuna.

"We can try to teach you, but just keep in mind it may not be something your elf-based magic can do." Obi-Wan said.

"You know, my magic is elf-based, yes, and that kind of magic generally comes from forests and such. But my magic works better when I'm around water, so I'm confused as to how that even works out, unless someone in my family is somehow half mer or something." Anakin shrugged.

"Elves are children of nature and can find a stronger connection to any of the natural elements." Quinlan said, his cheeks full of tuna, "Forests are their most common as they tend to live in the woody areas on land, but they can also have a connection to the rivers that run through them or the land that supports them. You're probably one of those river ones, but because you're so close to the ocean, you find yourself pulled towards it rather than a river which is likely further away from ya."

Anakin nodded. "Well, the river that empties into the ocean is only a few miles away from my home. But… the freshwater just doesn't appeal to me. There's something about the salt water that makes me feel more connected."

"Maybe that was just fate willing you to catch this fish." Quinlan said, nudging Obi-Wan.

The blond chuckled lightly. "Maybe… I'm glad I met Obi-Wan. He's one of the best people I know, and I would never wish to take it all back. My life has changed a lot since I met him."

"I love you, too." Obi-Wan cooed, kissing his cheek before eating some of his tuna.

Anakin's face flushed slightly as he returned to eating his own tuna. "I honestly can't go back to the way my life was before you. It was so boring and bland. Nothing exciting ever happened to me, and then I met you in that underwater cave."

"Maybe that cave should be where we make our mate vows to each other." Obi-Wan smiled.

"I think that's a great idea. I… still need to tell my mom about our advancement in relationship status. She still thinks we're just dating."

"Yes, you should." Qui-Gon stated.

"What do humans do for taking vows to be life-mates?" Obi-Wan asked.

"Usually there's a whole big ceremony. The future spouses take most of the day to get ready, and then they meet at the altar, arch, whatever is at the end of the aisle. One usually arrives first, and then the other comes in and blows everyone away, especially their future spouse. There's a priest who says some things first, and then the two speak their vows to each other. Then there's usually rings and both of them saying 'I do' when asked if they are willing to marry the other. After that they kiss, and they're officially married, or become life mates, as you put it."

"That sounds like fun. Maybe we should do both. One the mer way, and one the human way—but not with a ton of humans. Just those you trust, and my mer friends and family. We can do it at the beach by your castle when the sun leaves for the moon's light to shine." Obi-Wan mused.

"Oh, I love that idea! I definitely think we should do both," Anakin agreed with a smile.

"I just need to meet your mother and gain her approval, and then we can decide on when we say our vows." Obi-Wan smiled.

"I'll talk to her when I see her next."

"I hope she'll approve of me."

"I think she will. She's a supported of magical races herself, so I don't know why she wouldn't approve."

"I have dragged you further into the ocean than she ever would have thought was possible for you." Obi-Wan pointed out. "You even changed yourself physically in order to join me down here."

"I know. But she knows how I feel about you. I doubt she'll be upset."

"I still worry, just as you did before you met father."

"Well, I am quite intimidating until you realize I'm a giant cuttlefish." Qui-Gon laughed.

Anakin smiled. "You are a bit scary looking with all those scars. But I see you are a nice man. I was a bit worried to be honest, because I'm going to be your son's life mate. I thought you weren't going to approve of me. Silly thought, I suppose."

"I want my son to be happy. When he told me he met a human, I was skeptical, but you freed him when you could have betrayed him."

"Well, we had known each other for a while at that point. Our relationship was already being developed, so I had to help him. If it were me in his situation, I would have been scared out of my mind. Besides, I wanted to be able to see him still."

"Oi, don't make it sound like you wouldn't have helped him if you hadn't already known him and fallen in love." Quinlan suggested.

"Oh I would have helped him. I'm not like the other humans who took videos of him and just stared in awe. I mean, I may have stared a little, but I would have helped him anyways."

"You did stare at me the first time—a lot." Obi-Wan pointed out. "Your shock was the only reason I was able to jump from that pool of water to the exit."

"Good thing I stopped you before you left, or we wouldn't be here at this point."

"You're lucky I felt safe enough to stop and humor you in a short chat." Obi-Wan chuckled.

Anakin smiled and nuzzled Obi-Wan. "Look where we are now. Funny how things worked out the way they did."

"I agree. I remember Obi-Wan assuring me that he had no interest in you, only for him to later confess quite the opposite." Qui-Gon stated, making Obi-Wan flush.

Anakin chuckled. "Yeah, this situation worked out quite well…"

* * *

To be continued…


	12. Chapter 12

The sun was just barely above the horizon when Anakin pulled himself back on land. He was tired, but he had rested quite well with Obi-Wan in the sleeping nest. As soon as his hands touched the dry sand, he changed back to human form. He sighed as he remembered that he left on very little clothing. It didn't bother him too much that his briefs were soaked, but he knew he would be leaving a trail of water behind him.

He moved quickly, hoping the air would dry him quicker as he ran back to the castle and headed inside, avoiding guards who might have a chance of seeing him. They probably wouldn't question him if they saw him, but then again, none had seen him head to the beach before, so coming from the beach looked suspicious.

Anakin managed to get past all the guards, and he was almost to his room when he heard his mother humming a tune coming down the hallway from where his bedroom door resided. He quickly hid around the corner with a gasp, holding his hands close to his chest, hoping that his mother wouldn't find him.

"You're back." She hummed knowing that he was there.

Anakin sighed. "You knew I was gone?"

"Yes, and I was worried sick when you didn't come home last night. Where were you?"

Anakin came around the corner, hugging his arms around his body as water dripped off of him. "I was with Obi-Wan..."

"You were—Ani, you'll catch a cold sitting in the water all night! And in so little clothing? Come on, I'll run you a warm bath to get you warm again and hopefully chase away the cold before it takes root." The woman said, moving to physically usher her son into his rooms so she could take care of him.

"Uh, no, I don't think you want to do that!" Anakin struggled to fight against his mother, but she was a strong woman, and if her mind was set to something, she wouldn't quit until the job was done.

"You'll thank me when you don't get sick and therefore can't go out to visit that boyfriend of yours!" she said, getting him into his room's bathroom and turning to start filling the tub.

Anakin looked at the tub nervously. "I'm serious, this isn't a good idea..."

"Nonsense. Now don't make me treat you like a child and strip you down to wash you, myself!"

"I really don't need a bath, Mom, I just need some warm clothes!"

She stood up and put her hands on her hips, "Are you really doing this after you worried me sick all night long?"

"I don't want to make you upset... But I'll be fine, really." Part of Anakin somehow felt that she was going to push him into the tub anyways, and his secret would be revealed.

"Anakin Skywalker, you better explain why you are refusing to bathe."

"Because I just want some actual clothes on right now! I'm cold..."

"The bath will help that, and you'll smell fresher."

"I'm also tired, and I want to sleep in my bed," Anakin countered.

"Then you shouldn't stay up all night. We have things to do today."

Sighing, Anakin looked at the tub. "Mom...there's a few things I need to tell you. First of all, Obi-Wan and I are more than just dating now. We're planning on becoming life mates now."

"Life mates…as in you're engaged? Or that you two…agree to sleep with each other exclusively?" she asked, clearly uncomfortable with the idea of imagining her son's sex life.

"Like we're engaged Mom, jeez... But along with that, there's one other thing." Anakin slipped into the tub, and after the bubbles around his body subsided, his mer form was revealed to his mother.

"Anakin—what? How—did he do this to you somehow?" she asked, kneeling by the edge of the tub and looking at the colorful scales.

"Palpatine brought a potion to me... I drank it and now I can change forms."

"He—what? And you just—Ani, drinking potions can be dangerous!"

"I know, but the risk was worth it to me! It gave me a chance to be with Obi-Wan, and I wanted so badly to be with him in the same environment."

"So now if you get in water, you turn into a merman?"

"Yeah, and when I touch a dry surface-" Anakin reached out of the tub and touched the tiled floor. He was transported out of the tub and onto the floor, turning back to his human form.

She stared up at him with wide eyes, "I…do know what it's like to love a magical being and wanting to join their world…I just wish you would have come to me about this, so we could discuss it and I could question Sheev about the potion and just—know what you were planning, Ani."

Anakin sighed. "I'm sorry you had to find out now. I never meant to hurt you, I hope you know."

"I'm not hurt, I'm worried for you."

"I know you are. But nothing bad happened with that potion. I took it, I changed to a mer, and now I can switch between forms. Everything is alright, Mom."

"And what about side effects?" she asked, "Such magic comes with a cost."

Anakin blinked. "I... Don't know."

She sighed, "I want you to come with me to get you looked at by a magical healer." She finally decided, "Just to make sure there will be no big shocks later. We just…have to be secretive. The elfish village is hidden and is where your father is from. We don't want to expose them."

"Wait, you know of an elfish village? How come you never told me? You know I can keep a secret about that."

"I'm trying to protect them. I don't want what happened to your father to happen to the rest of his people. The only humans who know how to get to it are ones who was married or engaged to an elf from that village and have proven trustworthy. Travel to and from the village is always risky."

Anakin sighed. "Alright, when do we go?"

"Tonight. No excuses."

"Okay." The prince stepped forward and hugged his mother tight, burying his face in her hair. "I'm sorry, Mom…"

"Next time that old sorcerer gives you a potion, I want you to tell me before you drink it. Honestly, that man should have more sense than to give you a potion like that without discussing it." She said, hugging him.

"It's just that he gave me an opportunity that both Obi-Wan and I wanted… I couldn't say no, especially if it meant I got to be in the same environment as him."

"I don't blame you for it, but I find Sheev's actions unnerving."

"You don't trust him?"

"I find it strange. First that he'd offer you such a potion without at least mentioning it to me as this is a huge change to my only son. Second that…well, I may not know much about magic personally, but this kind of magic seems a bit too advanced for a human sorcerer in this day and age."

"I suppose you're right. But he and I have been talking in tutoring sessions about magical creatures and how someone might change their form, all sorts of stuff like that. To me it seems like he knows what he's doing."

"I'll be having a little chat with him abut this, you know. Class discussions are one thing, offering such a potion is another."

"I have no problem with that. It was a bit suspicious when he approached Obi-Wan and I when we were talking alone on the beach… I didn't tell him anything, and the guards never knew."

She nodded, "Get cleaned up and ready for the day. We'll treat today normally, and then tonight I'll come get you when I know we can sneak out unseen. But if you start to feel…unwell, please let me know."

Anakin nodded. "I will."

"Good boy." She kissed his cheek, "…and after all this, I do require finally meeting your watery fiancé."

"You'll get to meet him, I promise." Anakin smiled.

"Good, because a mother should know her son-in-law." She smiled, cupping his cheek.

 

* * *

 

That late evening after everyone had turned in for the night, Shmi quietly made her way to her son's room and let herself in, holding a bundle of cloth under her arm. "Ani, you ready?"

Anakin opened up his door, a smile on his face as he greeted his mother. "I'm ready. I got clothes that will hide my identity well, like you asked me to do."

"Good, also put this on—it was your father's." she said, handing him a cloak, plain and brown on the outside, but the inner lining had intricate green embroidery on a lighter green silk that seemed to glimmer in the light. "It has enchantments on it that will help you not draw attention to yourself. I have my own that your father had gifted me." She said, already wearing hers.

Anakin threw the cloak on around his shoulders and fastened it in the front. "How far away is the village? Are we walking or taking a car or something?"

"Walking. It's a longer hike, but the trails we'll be taking aren't even able to allow for mountain bikes. Hope all that swimming you do has you fit enough not to get too warn out."

"I spent most of last night swimming around with Obi-Wan, and I hardly got tired. I think I can manage." Anakin nodded and closed his door behind him. "We better get going then. The guards switch soon, and that would be our best opportunity to escape unnoticed."

She chuckled, "We'll be going out the old escape tunnels that were built back in times of war for our ancestors to avoid capture. Most of the tunnels have collapsed but there are a few still functional. I had explored them as a girl. We just need to sneak to the nearest entrance that isn't blocked off as a dead end."

"Wait, there are secret tunnels here, and I never knew about them? Man, I should have spent less time in the ocean growing up."

"This castle is full of old secrets." She laughed, "Okay, follow me."

Anakin followed his mother through the old tunnels, glancing around and smiling. He finally felt more connected to the life he wanted. Magical adventures, hunting down healers that knew more magic than he did, finding an old magical race to not be extinct as was once thought. Anakin's heart pounded in his chest as the promise for adventure became greater.

Shmi took him down to an old, unused part of the castle, often blocked off and supporting a sign stating it was unsafe. She ignored the warning, maneuvering herself between the boards that were tacked up to prevent entry, and then she pulled out a flashlight, flicking it on.

"Be careful where you step, that sign isn't just there to prevent people from exploring this area. It really is dangerous here."

"Not like I haven't explored dangerous places before," Anakin said as he squeezed between the boards. He struggled a little, being a larger build than his mother. He made it through to the other side however, and he moved closer to her, pulling out his own flashlight and turning it on to look around with.

"There's places where the floors have collapsed into what used to be a sewer underneath." She explained, "You don't want to fall into that. It's not used anymore, obviously, since we have modern pluming in the castle now, but it still smells real bad down there. But there are also some gorgeous old tapestries and paintings on the walls that had never been moved when this part of the castle was abandoned."

"Maybe we should try to recover some of those tapestries another time. I bet they'd make the castle look better than it already does."

"They're in rough shape. It's clear that moths and maybe even some rodents have gotten to them. They'd take a lot of restoration, and I have a theory that some of them have enchantments on them so those restorations would have to be done by someone who knows about ancient enchantments during a restoration project for safety's sake." She turned to grin at him, "Though I admit as a girl I did steal one tapestry of a herd of unicorns and have it in a chest in my room, still."

"Oh you have to show me that when we get back." Anakin chuckled as he stepped around a hole in the floor. "When did unicorns go extinct?"

"They were one of the first to be lost to this world. Their magic was some of the strongest and therefore most desired by those with greed."

"So a long time ago. Too bad we never got to see one. I wonder if they lived as long as normal horses, or if they lived longer."

"Longer." She said as they carefully moved forward in the dark ruins of the castle, "In fact, they were immortal. Timeless. Age had no affect on them once they reached adulthood. The only way for them to die was by outside sources such as sickness, starvation, or being hunted."

"Unicorns were immortal? No wonder their power was coveted by humans… It's a shame all of them were killed. I can't imagine how scared they must have been, knowing they could never die until the humans started hunting them." Anakin sighed and shook his head.

"I hope there are still some out there, like there actually are mers." She said, turning a corner and spotting what she was looking for. An old torn and moth-eaten tapestry, similar to others they had passed already. It depicted an old battle, elves mounted upon Pegasi flying overhead an army of humans on horses. On the other side showed trolls and dwarves upon large beasts Anakin couldn't name what they were called. Likely one of the extinct creatures forgotten from history books and time.

She carefully balanced herself, stepping along a thin row of stones that hadn't fallen along the wall until she reached it and tucked herself in behind the tapestry. Tucking her light in a pocket, she began to slide her hands along the old stone walls until one gave way and she pushed it in. next to it, still behind the tapestry, a hidden door slid open and she stepped from the dangerously thin ledge into it and took her light in hand once more.

"Hurry, before it closes on you."

Anakin followed his mother through the door, though he glanced briefly at the tapestry, keeping it in his memory for future adventures. He was through the door, and then it closed behind him. "Nice secret door."

"And you and I are the only two who know about it." She smiled, starting along the narrow tunnel. "Oh, and don't be alarmed at any strange noises. Animals are able to get in here."

"Not even the elves?"

"Why would they know? This isn't their home."

"I don't know... Maybe Dad knew about this and told the elves?" Anakin shrugged, admitting that his question wasn't the smartest he had asked.

"I never showed your father." She shook her head. "Just you."

"Were you eventually going to show him? Before he disappeared that is."

"I planned to once you were born. I didn't want to risk you if I got hurt down here while pregnant."

Anakin sighed. "I wish I could have met him. Not that I have anything against Cleigg. He's been a good dad to me, as best as he could be."

"Cleigg and I didn't marry for love." She admitted, "We had become very close friends, and we each were single and had a son. Owen needed a mother figure, and you needed a father figure, so we decided it would be best for you boys. Your father is the only man I truly loved."

"What would you and Cleigg do if Dad happened to be alive?"

"He knows my love. He'll step aside and allow me to finally marry the love of my life and he'll become your uncle rather than a father figure."

"So Owen... Would he be my brother still?"

"Cousin, brother, depends on how you two feel would be best."

"I mean I've always seen him as a brother. It would be hard for me to see him as a cousin now."

"It'd be something for the two of you to discuss. But if your father is still out there and we can find him and bring him home, Cleigg and Owen will not be forced from the castle that's been their home for so many years. No matter what, they are family now." She said, stepping around a pile of rubble.

"Good. It'd be weird to not have them around," Anakin admitted.

"Would you want to see your father join us if we find him?" she asked.

"I would. I want him to be in our family again."

"You wouldn't be upset that I marry him, would you? I know it's an unusual situation our family is in."

"Absolutely not. I can handle Cleigg being an uncle."

"Good…because I do love and miss him more than I can stand it sometimes." She smiled at him, "And you look so much like him."

Anakin smiled back. "I hope, for at least your sake, he's still alive."

"Both our sakes. You deserve to know the great man that is your father." She insisted.

"Then we should look for him after tonight. Try to track down where he was last."

"I've been trying for years…his name isn't listed in any of the camp resident documents, so maybe he gave a fake name, but I have no idea what that name would be so I can narrow down the search."

"Then maybe we need to visit the camps, see if anyone recognizes his appearance."

"They don't let humans in. It's a segregated area, Anakin, it's horrible, and there are visitor rooms but you need to file a request to visit a specific person. That's why I haven't been able to go there in person to find him a long time ago. I want such places outlawed…"

"We're royalty though. We should be able to go when we want to see who we want. I'm serious, we should just march in and demand to look at everyone."

"The system won't allow it, Anakin. That's why I'm fighting to have it changed. To get rid of the camps completely in our country and setting that example for other countries to do the same."

Anakin shook his head. "I want to just go to one. We have power, we should be able to go where we want."

"We don't. And you can get in, but you wouldn't be able to get back out, Ani. You'd have to reveal that you aren't fully human, and they'd cart you off to one. Next year is the start of a new election, and I have been working with a team to stand for ending camps and opening up to intergrading humans and non-humans alike as things used to be. If we can sway the general public, we can do this right and free everyone including your father."

Anakin sighed. "I wish humans weren't so power-driven."

"We can change, but we need to start that change if we want it to happen. You and Obi-Wan can help if you both are okay with it, by showing just how well a human can get along with a magical being."

"I know I'm willing, but I need to talk to him about it first."

She nodded, "I realize it'd be a risk for him, especially after what happened on that boat." She turned the corner and stopped with a frown, "Oh dear, this is a new tight fit…" she said, looking up and down a large pile of rubble that hadn't been there last time she had used the old tunnels, "Do you think you could squeeze through here?"

Anakin looked it over. "I might be able to, but I think I'll have to take off the cloak and my jacket."

"I'll go first, you stuff your things through to me, then try yourself." She decided, climbing up and squeezing past the rubble.

Nodding, the prince took off the cloak and jacket and tossed them up to his mom. He then grabbed pieces of the rubble and climbed up to the hole he had to squeeze through. He struggled to enter, and he felt pieces grabbing at his shirt, but he managed to get all the way through. His shirt was a bit tattered, but he wasn't bothered by it too much.

"I hope that's the tightest place we have to go through," he commented after he was through.

"I hope so, too." She said, handing him his things back "But I think we're getting close to the quick travel stream."

"Don't tell me we're swimming," Anakin said with a smirk.

"No, there's a raft, but it's definitely magic. It glows, and it took me months to get up the courage to try it. It basically speeds you through the rest of the tunnels closer to the exit."

"I'll have to see if I'm faster than it some other time."

"Not sure if you should. It's the water part that glows." She admitted.

"So maybe it's the water that makes the boat go faster."

"Probably." They turned a few more times before they came to a glowing, yellow-green canal of water with an old, but surprisingly sturdy looking raft tied to a post. Shmi moved over to it and stepped on, settling herself near the center of it and waited for Anakin to join her.

Anakin stepped onto the raft and settled next to his mother.  "So will this take us to the edge of the village, or just to another place we have to hike up?"

"We'll have more walking after this." She said, "But it will take us far into the forest. Untie the rope and push us off, then quickly hold onto one of the sets of handles so you don't fall off."

Anakin did as his mother told him, and then he settled down on the raft and held tight to a handle. "Exactly how fast does this thing go?"

The raft didn't take long to answer his question as it quickly gained a dizzying speed, somehow not capsizing or knocking into the walls when making turns.

"Woah, this thing really moves," he said as his grip on the handles increased greatly.

"That's why I warned you." She laughed, the wind from their speed blowing wisps of hair out of her simple bun.

Anakin laughed as the wind also blew his hair. "I don't care what happens once we get to the village. The trip to it is an adventure all its own."

She smiled at him and looked forward as the man-made stone structure seemed to change into a more naturally made cave, and then the raft began slowing down until it reached the shore with a gentle bump. Shmi reached out to tie the raft to a stalagmite near the edge, and then climbed off "And now we walk some more." She said, looking back at her son in the glowing light of the water.

Anakin reached down to touch the water with his fingertips, smiling as the water dripping off glowed blue, then back to yellow-green. He stepped off the raft to join his mother once more on land.

"We're currently in a hidden cave, we will have to make our way out and we'll find ourselves deep within the mountian's forest." She smiled, "You'll get to see the place where I first met your father."

"You met him in the forest? That's beautiful. Meeting a magical person in a magical place seems to run in our family." Anakin chuckled.

"Magical is right. It was in an old fairy ring I accidently stumbled into. Luckily it was one made of good fortune, and not bad, as humans can never tell the difference between one that leads to madness or early death, or one that blesses you with good fortune in one aspect of your life or another. The moment I stepped inside it, the world around me seemed to change. I could see things I couldn't before, and I was filled with a deep warmth. And then your father appeared outside the ring, and he teased me saying 'Don't you know you shouldn't step within a fairy ring?'."

"Wow," Anakin said with a smile. "When I met Obi-Wan, I discovered an underwater cave, and it had those marshblooms like the one I gave you. It was a place I could catch my breath before I went back into the water, because it was like an airpocket. There's a bunch of pools in that cave, and something splashed in one of them. I went to investigate, and he was there in that pool, curled up and looking at me with wide eyes. I stepped back because I was as shocked as he was probably, but he jumped out of the pool and almost left me before I called out to him. Thankfully he stopped and talked to me for a bit. Otherwise, we might not be together now."

"Funny how these meetings work." She chuckled as they made their way to the mouth of the cave, a cool, blue-tinted moonlight casting in from outside.

Anakin took in a breath of the forest air. It was crisp and clean, different than the ocean air he was used to breathing in. "It's so nice here. I forgot how nice the forest is."

"I would think that on some level, this should feel like home to you. It is your home—or one of your homes." She said, pulling her hood up over her head.

"I do feel like I'm more connected to this place through my magic, but the ocean's connection is still stronger."

Shmi lead her son through the trees, finally pausing and pointing at a circle of mushrooms, "This is where your father and I first met."

Anakin looked around at the trees, noting how the moonlight filtered through to shine on the fairy ring. "If there is any place to meet your soul mate, this is it."

I agree." She chuckled. "But we shouldn't linger if we want to get back home before we're missed."

"Right." Anakin sighed and pulled the hood of his cloak over his head.

She lead him up  rocky ridges, across chasms using large tree limbs as bridges, and along, narrow paths that looked more like they were made by small animals than people. But finally they arrived at the base of a huge tree, and she stepped up to it, placing her hand on the bark of it.

"Great dryad, would you allow us entrance to what is hidden from human knowledge?"

The tree itself seemed to shift until a tall figure stepped from it as if it were an illusion. She was beautiful, towering over them with dark brown skin that had lighter markings on her cheeks and forehead, striking green eyes, and hair that reflected the many greens and yellows of leaves. It wasn't hard to imagine that her hair changed with the seasons. Small white flowers speckled her skin like freckles or birthmarks. She bent down so that she was closer to their height, and smiled, "Lady Skywalker, it has been many seasons since you last came."

"After Sarben disappeared, I didn't want to risk exposing the village with frequent visits." Shmi smiled. "It's good to see you again, Ahsoka. I had expected your mother, Shaak to be the one guarding tonight. You've grown so much."

"Mother is taking her turn in the celebrations so I'm covering for her. You are wise in staying away, but you have also been missed. We welcome you back, and…your son?"

"Yes, son of Sarben." Shmi said, looking back at Anakin, "I named him Anakin, and it is time he met his other people, but also is in need of a magic healer after doing something reckless."

The dryad laughed, her voice like wind through the leaves, "Then he is undoubtedly the son of Sarben." She said, "Enter. It is the eve of the moon festival, and very few are in bed tonight." She stepped back into the tree and it shifted again, this time opening into an elegant archway that led to the hidden city.

"Come on, Anakin." She said, stepping through.

Anakin's heart picked up pace in his chest as he and his mother walked through the arch. As soon as they were though, several sounds of celebration reached his ears. People were laughing and drinking, children ran about unsupervised with huge smiles on their faces. Everything seemed to be decorated accordingly for a moon festival, and Anakin couldn't help but feel more excited the further into the village he and his mother went.

"Mom… this is amazing," he almost whispered to her.

"Yes, it is." She smiled. "And it's a real safe place for elves and other magical races to live freely. Let's get you to a healer to be looked at, and then if everything is okay, then we can stay and explore a little. Maybe we'll bump into your father's family."

"Is it safe for me to remove my hood? I don't want to cause a panic."

"Yes, you may. We only put them up for traveling here."

Anakin removed his hood almost instantly. "God, I love this place already," he said as they began their search for a healer. "It's like I belong here. I feel the magic inside me connecting more the longer we stay here."

"Had your father been with us, he would have brought you here often." Shmi said, "Here, this looks to be a healer's hut if I'm reading those runes correctly." She said, pushing open the door and stepping inside.

"You can read runes? So many ancient texts I've come across in my studies, and I've never been able to read them because they were written in runes. All this time I could have come to you. You were hiding a lot of stuff from me, Mom." Anakin chuckled as he stepped into the hut.

"Your father taught the basics to me. I had a very hard time with it." She said before smiling at the elf that greeted them, "I'm sorry to disturb you during a celebration, but we are in need of a healer's time."

"Of course," the healer said with a smile. "What can I help you with on this lovely night?"

"I'd like you to look over my son. He recklessly drank a powerful potion given to him by a human sorcerer who frankly shouldn't be able to make such powerful magic. I fear it wasn't made correctly or something."

The healer nodded. "I'll take a look at him. If the potion was made correctly, it should have no negative impact on your son."

Anakin moved over to the bench the healer gestured to and sat on it, waiting patiently and watching the healer work. "Can anyone learn healing magic, or is it more of an exclusive thing for a small group of people," he asked.

"Healing magic is special and takes great concentration," the healer responded. "If one does not know how to properly use it, it can end up hurting rather than healing. It is the same with all magic, potions included. If the mage who gave you the potion knew what they were doing, you will end up perfectly fine."

"The potion in question gave him shape-shifting abilities." Shmi stated, "And it seems to have worked, but better safe than sorry."

"Shapeshifting?" The healer looked up at Shmi. "Those potions are quite dangerous if not created perfectly. One little wrong ingredient and the results can be fatal."

"Fatal? As in people die if they drink a potion that's not made for them?"

"A shapeshifting potion, yes. However…" The healer ran his hands just over Anakin's arms and legs, hands glowing white. "It seems that whoever made the potion knew what they were doing. I sense nothing wrong with the results."

"Thank goodness." Shmi let out a relieved breath, hand over her heart.

"Your son is perfectly fine. Some of the side effects of a shapeshifting potion include pain with the first transformation, which I assume has happened already, correct?"

Anakin nodded. "Had it the night I got the potion."

"And you haven't had any pain since then concerning transforming?"

"Nope."

The healer nodded. "Good. If anything else does happen, I suggest coming back here right away, or going to another healer. This type of magic can go bad over time, although cases like those are very rare."

"What do you mean? What can go wrong later?" Shmi asked.

"Pain with transformations, transforming unwillingly, and partial transformation are the major issues that can arise. Smaller ones could be a constant state of exhaustion, increased appetite or lack of, dehydration in cases with transformations associated with water."

"Oh no…that sounds dangerous…" she looked at Anakin, "You could drown…"

"Nothing has happened yet, Mom. Besides, I know how to swim properly. I've only been doing it for most of my life."

"Mers go much deeper than humans can go! If you suddenly change back deep down and can't get to air in time…" she shook her head.

"If it helps any," the healer spoke up, "I've not heard of a case where a mer transformation has gone bad. Usually transformations only go bad if the magic was unstable. Again, all of this is rare."

"Still," she took Anakin's hand, "If you're down there with your boyfriend, and you feel off or sick, or anything strange, I want you to head up to the surface or one of those air pockets."

"I will," Anakin promised. "I know to be careful."

"Good." She gave him a side-hug and looked to the healer, "Is there anything else before we go?"

The healer shook his head. "I have nothing more, unless you have more you want me to look at."

"Ani?" she asked him, "Anything you may be concerned about, or are you good to go out and explore a bit? Maybe find your father's family so they can meet you?"

"I'm ready to explore," Anakin said with a smile as he stood up.

Shmi nodded, "Thank you for your time to make sure my son was fine." She bowed to the healer before opening a pouch and taking out a small red gem to give the healer in payment.

The healer took it and bowed.

* * *

To be continued…


	13. Chapter 13

Anakin stepped back outside and took in a deep breath. He could smell food cooking and wood burning along with the scent of the crisp night air. He felt at home, just like he did in the ocean. "It's odd how I feel connected to both the forest and the ocean through my magic. I don't understand it, but it feels… nice."

"Come on, let's get some food." She chuckled. "I think your aunt cooks at events like this."

"Oh my god, I get to meet actual aunts, uncles, and cousins… I never thought about actually having those." Anakin smiled and grabbed his mother's arm.

She smiled, "Yes, you have more family on your father's side than mine. Much more. Let's go get something tasty and find them. I'm sure they'll be excited to see Sarben's son all grown up. I did bring you here to meet them when you were first born, so they are aware of you already."

"Too bad we didn't visit more often."

Anakin followed his nose until they came to a firepit that was serving food to holiday celebrants. There were too many good smells to follow, so he knew he had to stop by at least a few fire pits to get some amazing food.

"Too bad we didn't visit more often."

Anakin followed his nose until they came to a firepit that was serving food to holiday celebrants. There were too many good smells to follow, so he knew he had to stop by at least a few fire pits to get some amazing food.

"Sarben?" a voice asked at the third firepit that they wandered to.

Anakin looked up from the fire, wondering if he really did look a lot like his father. "No, sorry… I'm his son, Anakin."

"…Anakin? Oh spirits, you look so much like him—you're so tall now!" an elfin woman said, making her way around the pit to pull him down into a hug, "I'm your father's baby sister, Aurae!"

Anakin grunted as the woman pulled him into a hug, but he chuckled, keeping in high spirits. "Hi there, you must be the aunt my mom was telling me about."

"Yes!" she looked behind Anakin, "Shmi! It's been too long! You been keeping my cute little nephew away from us!" she grinned, moving to hug her in turn.

Shmi smiled wide as she hugged Aurae. "Hello, dear. I know, I've been away too long. Things have been difficult though. I hope you can understand."

"I know…since my brother disappeared…" she looked up at Shmi, "And now Sionia's little one has also disappeared. Little Phinara is only five, and she wandered off in the forest one day and was captured…we tried getting her back, but she's gone…"

"Oh no… I'm so sorry, if there was anything I could have done…"

"Do you know who took her?" Anakin asked.

She shook her head, "Some human in black. Her ears hadn't even been clipped, so the human had to know that she was a non-human…" she looked over at Anakin, "She's your little cousin. Sarben's and my older sister's youngest."

Anakin shook his head. "It's despicable what humans do. Isn't it enough that they've killed off so many magical races already?"

"They aren't all bad…just enough of them for us to have to stay hidden." Aurae sighed, "But let's try to focus on better things. You're here now, so let's go introduce you to the rest of the family. Oh, and here, try this." She grabbed a stick of food and pushed it into Anakin's hands. "Hey, I'm going on break, keep an eye on the food for me." She called to someone before linking her arms with Shmi and Anakin's.

Anakin took a bite of the food as he was led away by his aunt. "Oh my god, this is so good," he said around the food in his mouth. "Do you make food this good all the time?"

"Of course, cooking is my passion, and not to mention the way to a love's heart is through their stomach." She winked.

"I'll have to keep that in mind next time I go to see my boyfriend." Anakin chuckled as he finished the food on the stick.

"Trust me; it's how I got my beautiful dwarf wife to marry me." She laughed.

Anakin's eyes lit up. "You have a wife? You have no idea how happy that makes me."

"Yes. She lets me braid her beard, and she can crush a melon between her thighs. She's perfect." His aunt swooned.

Shmi laughed, "So you finally got over your shyness to actually talk to Yovruda?"

"And offer her a platter of my famous drumsticks." She nodded.

"I love this family more and more," Anakin said with a smile. "Is there anyone my age?"

"My sister's second-oldest kid is two or three years older than you." She hummed "Depends on if you go by human years or elf years."

"I just turned 21 in human years."

"Human years he's three years older than you."

"What's his name?"

"Aithlin, but he prefers being called Ai."

"So many cool names. I can't wait to meet everyone."

"In here is where our family gathers when we aren't working or enjoying the festival. It's my mom and dad's house—your grandparents." She opened the door and held it for them.

When the door opened, several people turned their heads to look at who was coming in. At first there was a collective gasp, the adults thinking Sarben was back once more, but as soon as Anakin stepped in, the hope that Sarben had returned tuned to surprise of the appearance of his son.

Anakin swallowed, looking at his aunt hoping she would know what to say.

"I found the elusive Shmi and Anakin wandering about the fire pits!" She said, arms around both of their shoulders, "They finally came for another visit! Don't be shy, go get to know your family." She said, nudging him towards everyone.

Anakin was pulled into several hugs almost immediately. Relatives left and right greeted him and commented on how much he looked like Sarben, plus a few stories about his father were told.

Shmi chuckled, catching up with people as Anakin got to know others.

Eventually everyone ended up sitting around a fire and swapping stories about the family and sharing food from the festival. Anakin enjoyed every minute of it, and he started to enjoy it even more when his older cousin, Aithlin, came in to join the family.

"So, Anakin," Aithlin said, leaning in close, "What you into? Ladies? Gents? You taken yet or looking?"

"Taken by the most amazing boyfriend."

"Damn, then I can't set you up with any of my single friends." He laughed, "This guy of yours human like your mom?"

"No, he's a mer actually."

The elf looked confused, "Sorry, but I'm pretty sure mers were lost to this world…"

Anakin shook his head. "They're still around, but they're hiding like you guys. I was lucky I even found the one I'm in a relationship with."

"Hu. So how does that work out? I mean, physically mers are only half compatible with us two-legs."

"Well… my tutor created a shapeshifting potion for me to drink, and now I can change to a mer form. I don't look exactly like a true mer, but enough to pass as one."

"Isn't that dangerous?"

"Yeah, I've heard a lot about that recently. Mom and I went to a healer today to check if I was safe, which I am."

"Good. Wouldn't wanna lose another member of our family."

"Yeah… Too many have been lost already. I can't stand to see others suffer the same thing our family has." Anakin sighed and gripped the cup of water he held tighter as he looked into the fire.

"You know…for a family of elves, us Skywalkers sure do tend to fall in love with non-elves."

"Strange how that works out. But we're all with people who make us happy, and I think that's the most important."

"Yeah but how long can we continue to call ourselves elves? It's kinda funny how times change. Back in the day elves never took husbands and wives of other races, or if they did, it would be a human. But even that was rare. Now we have dwarves and mers and humans, and who knows what else will come."

Anakin shrugged. "I guess I don't really call myself an elf, even though I'm a quarter elf."

"Yeah, but you also grew up in the human city." Ai pointed out as he reached over to grab a bowl of flavored popped corn.

"True. I didn't know I was part elf until recently. I've thought I was human for most of my life. Now I know I'm part elf and I have an elf family, plus a mer boyfriend."

"Not a bad surprise, really."

"It wasn't. I was always wanting my life to be more adventurous and filled with magic, but growing up I didn't know about all the magical races and the history of magic. Now that I do know, my life has gotten so much better. Being a prince is boring without any fun in life."

"You gotta make life what you want. Dive right in and kiss that merman, as it is in your case." He laughed.

Anakin chuckled. "Yeah, I'm glad I met him. He started me on the life of adventure that I wanted."

"You'll have to bring him to meet us sometime." He said.

"I have to figure out how I can do that. I know there's a river nearby, and there's one close to the castle, but I don't know if they're the same river, and I don't know what body of water would run closest to this village."

"Oh, right, you didn't grow up here. There's actually a pool of water here that's so deep it connects to the ocean . Don't know where the ocean side entrance is, but mers and other magical races of the ocean used to come through to visit back before humans went deadly on us."

"Really? Well now I want to go into the water." Anakin chuckled.

"Well, you know how to get here now, and if you can shift into a mer, you can later explore it and figure out how to get your boyfriend up here to visit."

"I wish I had more time here tonight." Anakin sighed as he looked over at his mother. "But I guess I know how to get here now, so I can come the next time I'm able to."

"Yeah, and you better come more often! No only coming back when you're like, forty."

"Don't worry, I'll come back before I'm forty," Anakin said with a smile.

"Good." He held out the bowl to Anakin, "Mooncorn?"

"Sure. I've had some of the best food here, so I doubt this is bad." The blond took some and popped it into his mouth.

"It's sweet. Very popular with kids."

Anakin nodded. "I like it."

"I can bag some up for you to take with you. You just pop it over heat like regular popcorn before eating."

"I'd like that. I can share some with Obi-Wan then."

"Yup, but in air. It'll not last in water." Ai laughed.

"Ani, we should start heading back if we want to get back before sunrise." Shmi said, appearing behind him and placing her hand on his shoulder. "You know how to come back now as long as you're careful no one follows you."

Anakin sighed and nodded as he stood up. "I hate to leave, but I know we have to. Besides, my lack of sleep is catching up to me. One night spent swimming with Obi-Wan and the next spent with my family took a lot more energy out of me than I thought."

"Wow, and here I thought I'd have to practically drag you home." She smiled, pulling her cloak back on.

"One sec!" Ai hopped up and ran to the kitchen, returning shortly with a cloth bag of unpopped mooncorn, handing it to Anakin. "See ya around, cuz."

"Thank, Ai." Anakin hugged his cousin tight, and then he went around and hugged everyone else before he and his mother left.

 

* * *

 

"Have you decided on that potion yet?" Palpatine asked, approaching Anakin where he was studying in the castle library.

Anakin looked up. "Yeah, actually. I drank it the night you gave it to me."

"Really? I do hope it wasn't too unbearable for you."

"It hurt, yeah, but after the pain was over, everything was smooth from there."

"Good. And you've tested your abilities? Enjoyed quality time under the sea with your special mer?"

Anakin nodded. "Learned how to swim better with the tail after a bit. It's weird at first, but I got the hang of it pretty quickly."

Palpatine smiled, "So what's it like down there from a mer's point of view?"

"Dark for the most part. Not a lot of light where Obi-Wan swims most of the time."

"Sounds depressing. Have you met other mers, or is Obi-Wan still the only one?"

"I haven't seen any more," he lied, sensing that something felt off about the conversation.

"That's a shame. But I do hope you are enjoying it despite the dark waters and lack of companions in it."

"Well I'm fine just swimming around with Obi-Wan. I'm pretty happy just being able to do that."

"That's all that matters." He smiled.

Anakin nodded in agreement. "He seems to be okay that I drank the potion, now that he knows I'm safe after having drank it."

"He was worried for you? He seems very caring."

"He is. He's the type of person who will care for anyone."

"I get the feeling you're a particularly special case, however." The old man smiled.

"I don't doubt it. He seems to take special interest in my wellbeing." Anakin smiled.

"Just don't go getting lost down there." He said, patting Anakin's shoulder, "I'll see you for class later, my boy."

"See you." Anakin sighed as he looked back down at the book he was studying on elves. Something didn't feel quite right about Palpatine suddenly giving Anakin the shapeshifting potion out of nowhere, as his family had pointed out, and him coming up to the prince to talk about it was suspicious as well.

Deciding not to dwell on it too much, Anakin picked up a pencil and started to doodle in the book, eventually a small family portrait coming together that included his parents, aunts, grandparents, and Obi-Wan.

 

* * *

 

Anakin was once again in his tutoring session. It was a work day, so nothing new was being learned. However, there was plenty of homework he needed to work on, and most of it pertained to magical races, so it was interesting enough to keep Anakin's attention on it. His head was down as he wrote what he needed to, unaware of anyone who may have walked into the room or if Palpatine decided to watch over his work.

Palpatine stood behind Anakin, watching him as he scribbles down his notes on trolls. "Have you noticed how incomplete the mer section is compared to the others?" he suddenly asked.

Anakin paused. "I guess, yeah. Mers don't have much information in the history books anymore."

"You could help fix that by filling in the blanks. Such as what they eat. Are they hunters or gatherers?"

"Well you know they're hunters. Obi-Wan had a hunting spear with him when he was caught by the fishermen."

"It could have been to fend off predators. He did seem to point it as such at the fishermen." The old man pointed out, "If mers are herbivores, it'd make sense that they would need ways to defend themselves as they'd be lower on the food chain."

"They're not; I've had fish with Obi-Wan before. That's most of his diet."

"I see, and they use tools for catching their food rather than teeth or claws?"

"Well, yes, they're not a primitive race, they're very modern."

"Modern? How so? I wouldn't have guessed that they'd make scientific advancements as humans have."

"I don't know, modern as in they know how to hunt and how to properly prepare their food and how to stay away from humans."

"I wouldn't call that modern, personally."

"It's more modern than it sounds. Obi-Wan tells me they have cities built much like cities here on land. Skyscrapers, trade markets, residential areas, all things that we associate with cities, they have it all in their underwater cities."

"Interesting, so there has to be more. Where there are cities, there are residents, and I would assume they also have family units rather than like so many creatures that never see their families."

"Yeah, Obi-Wan lives with his dad, and he's got siblings that visit every once in a while because they've moved out with their own families. Very similar to how human families work."

Palpatine chuckled, "It's only a matter of time before he takes you home to meet his family, I'm sure."

"Yeah, probably." Anakin smiled as he went back to working on his homework.

"Would you mind it if I properly met our little merman? Asked him questions to better human understanding of his people?"

"Uh, well he's very shy around new people. I'm not sure he's ready to really meet another human yet, even though you saw each other the night you gave me the potion."

"Understandable, but it wouldn't hurt to ask him. If he says he's not ready, then he's not ready."

"Well I'm not going to push anything on him. I care too much about him to do something like make him do something he's not ready for."

"I'd never ask you to pressure him, my boy. Relationships are built on trust and respect."

Anakin nodded. "If I were to break his trust... We'd never see each other again. It'd be nasty."

"So," He said again, moving to his desk and sitting down with interlocking fingers, "Mers aren't harmed by being out of the water, are they? He was fine after the incident on the boat? No ill effects?"

"He was a bit shaken up, and of course he had a few wounds on his tail, but other than that he got away just fine. He wasn't out of the water long enough for any problems to arise from that."

"So it can be a problem? If he had stayed on the deck longer?"

"Dehydration can occur, yes."

"That's a shame. I was thinking it'd be nice if you could get him a wheelchair so he could explore our world with you, but if he dries out…"

"Bringing him on land would be a bad idea, and I'd rather not make him suffer like that."

"Of course not. That is why I asked before offering up the idea I had in passing. After all, you know more about them than I do."

Anakin shrugged. "You have a basic knowledge. My knowledge is advanced from that basic knowledge, so it's not much more honestly."

"They are such a mystery to us." The man sighed.

"They're still a mystery to me, and I'm in a relationship with one." Anakin chuckled. "But I learn more every time I get to be with him."

"I wish I had what you had information-wise." He smiled.

"Well it takes a lot of trust to learn all the things I have."

"Are you sure you didn't just kiss the information out of him? The man teased.

Anakin flushed. "No I didn't kiss the information out of him. He trusts me to keep mer secrets, and I intend to keep them."

"I was only teasing, Anakin. After all, you two were kissing that night I gave you the potion."

"Yeah, I guess we were..." Anakin shrugged, hoping he could get back to his homework without Palpatine interrupting him again.

"Are you planning to see him again tonight?"

"Maybe. Depends on if I get my homework done today or not."

"Does he always come to greet you, just in case? Or do you go to him now that you can?"

"Depends. If we know we're meeting each other, he usually comes up to the surface."

"Nice of him to meet you like that, even now that you can meet him under the surface." He said, opening a book.

"It's what he's always done, so there's no reason for him to stop. Besides, it's nice to dive into the water with him."

"I can imagine so." He smiled.

* * *

To be continued…


	14. Chapter 14

"Disgusting, absolutely nauseating." Palpatine shuttered as he strolled down the old stone steps to his lair hidden under the castle. "Wanting one is one thing, but to kiss it? Uhg! How revolting. That boy has issues—not sure if it's from his mother, or if it's because he has a non-human father…"

The lights turned on and he ignored the groans and sounds of protest from his 'pets' as he walked around, dropping food into their bowls.

"What stick is up your ass this time?" Sarben remarked as his eyes adjusted to the light.

"Don't get smart with me, filth." Palpatine said, kicking him.

"I'm sick of your shit," the half-elf spat. "I want freedom, for me _and_ every creature here that you've tortured for your own sickening gains."

"If I were to grant you the freedom of being released back into the wild, you would really leave my newest pet to be down here all alone in the dark? How cruel you are, Sarben."

"No he not!" Phinara spoke up from where she was hiding into his side, "You is!"

Palpatine growled, grabbing a metal pipe and raising it to hit her as she let out a scream.

Sarben acted quickly, leaning back against the wall and striking out his legs, catching Palpatine across the face with a hard kick. "Don't you dare touch her!" he nearly roared.

Palpatine switched the direction, hitting Sarben hard across the shoulder, "Jealous someone else was about to get my affections, pig?"

"You were going to hit a child! Who fucking does that?!"

"Please, it's not like she's human." He rolled his eyes and walked away to his work bench, "Eat, before I change my mind on feeding you today."

"You don't need most of us here anymore. I don't see why you keep us when you've drained us of all our magic." Sarben settled back against the wall with a growl.

"Not fully. Otherwise you'd be dead. And if I let you be, your magic levels will go back up. That's why I _feed_ you creatures."

Sarben rolled his eyes and looked away from the old man. "You're despicable."

"Men don't concern themselves with the opinions of animals" he said as he worked on a spell. Right before it was ready, he moved over to a table in the center of the room, rolling out a chart of the ocean, keeping it open and flat with small heavy objects set in the corners. He then took out a few hairs he stole from Anakin's brush after sneaking into his room while he was at supper with his family. He held them so they dangled over the map and he took the components of his spell, crushed into a powder in his palm, and muttering the magic words, he blew it at the hairs.

The powder attached to the hairs and spun around  over the map, creating a small orb that moved to settle on the shoreline where the castle was located. Inside the orb, you could see Anakin as he ran across the sand towards the water.

"Yes, now show me to the mer city. I know you lied about it." Palpatine smirked.

Sarben watched the orb with wide eyes. "Is... Is that my son?"

"Yes." Palpatine said in a bored voice as he watched Anakin leap into the water where the mer was waiting for him, catching him in his arms and kissing him before saying something. The orb didn't include sound, only visuals.

"He's all grown up..." Sarben felt himself get emotional while watching his son. "I missed his whole childhood."

"It's not like he missed you. The queen, either. She married that Cliegg Lars guy she had been friends with. Man gave Anakin an older brother as well as a father who was actually there. And he's human. A much better match for our queen."

Sarben lowered his eyebrows. "Shmi loved me. She wouldn't have married someone else if she didn't think it was for the best."

"She never told her son about you. He doesn't even know your name. He knows nothing of his magical heritage, and he has no idea he has a natural magic in him. Face it. You were nothing more than a pretty cock to breed with."

"Your foul mouth is going to get you killed one day," the half-elf spat. "You're nothing but a coward who relies on magic to feel safe. If you didn't have the ability to use magic, every single creature here would have attacked and killed you by now. You're weak!"

"If I were weak, none of you would be here in the first place." Palpatine said, watching as the orb moved over the chart, showing Anakin as he interacted with the merman.

Sarben looked back at the orb. "Wait, did he change forms? Did you give him that potion you were making?"

"The fool took it the very night I brewed it. His mother had not been pleased when she found out, but I managed to cast a charm on her to get her off my back about it. Be grateful he didn't die."

"You could have killed my son! Why did you make it for him to take? Do you want a mer that badly to mistreat and wind up killing?"

"Now that we know mers aren't extinct, they are one of the most magically gifted creatures left ingredient-wise. Imagine what I could do with the blood, tears, and scales of a mer. Your fish-fucking son's life's more than worth risking for even one."

"What will happen when you get what you want? Would you cast my son aside after everything you've done for him, whether good or bad?"

"Depends on how useful he proves to be." He shrugged as he wrinkled his nose, watching as Anakin playfully pulled the redheaded merman back and pressed a kiss to his lips again before diving down deeper with a laugh.

"Is he in love with the mer?" Sarben allowed himself to smile lightly, watching his son being chased by the mer. "He really is a Skywalker…"

"They wish to marry, from what I overheard of their personal conversation the night I interrupted them to give Anakin the potion. Disgusting."

"You know nothing of true love. If you did, I'm fairly certain you wouldn't be doing the things you're doing now."

"Love—ha! A repulsive weakness."

"You don't know how strong magic can be when someone is in love."

"Yet here you are. The queen made you weak; made you venerable and easy to capture. I only needed to lure you in, claiming to be her, and you stepped right into my trap."

Sarben glared at Palpatine. "She did not make me weak. You have."

"She blinded you to your better judgment. You believed my illusion to be your beautiful young, pregnant love, and she believed my illusion of you to have told her you were found out as a non-human and have to run to escape the camps. She thinks you abandoned her and her son."

"No, she'd never believe that! She's smart, she'll figure out the truth soon enough, and you will be banned from this kingdom, mark my words."

"She's a fool. Spending her time working on trying to sway the public opinion against magical camps, to let those creatures live among us as equals. She's so busy with something that will never happen that she isn't even looking my way."

"Looking your way? You mean... She hasn't picked up on anything yet? Nothing at all?"

"Not a thing." He smirked, but his expression soured when suddenly the orb showing Anakin and Obi-Wan swimming downward suddenly popped, leaving residue all over the map, and himself.

"How? This spell doesn't fail!" he slammed his hands on the table, "Show me the location of the mer city!"

Sarben smirked. "Mer magic is strong, you should know this. If they don't want to be found, they won't be."

"Damn it." He threw one of the objects holding down a corner of the chart across the room, ignoring how it shattered. "I wasted those scales for nothing! Made that potion for nothing! How will I—I guess I'll have no choice…" his face turned dark as he looked at his empty tank of salt water, "Anakin's boyfriend will have to be the one. I had hopped for a younger one who'd keep longer, but…" he hummed as he started plotting a new plan.

"Don't you dare take away the mer that makes my boy happy," Sarben hissed.

"I'd like to see you stop me." Palpatine smirked.

The half-elf strained against his chains, harder than what he normally did, teeth bared and eyes nearly glowing. "Touch Anakin or that mer, harm them in any fucking way, and you will die the moment I lay eyes on you again."

"You've been trying for years to even touch me." He rolled his eyes, "I suggest you just get ready to welcome a new roommate to talk to."

With that, Palpatine left again, leaving the room in darkness.

Phinara tugged on Sarben's elbow, "Will mister mer be okay?"

Saben relaxed again and looked down at Phinara. "Yes, of course he'll be fine. He's a mer, and mers know how to protect themselves very well."

"I hope so. Mister wrinkle-face is very mean and scary."

"He is." The man gestured to his food he was given. "You can have my food if you're still hungry. I know he cut down your food amount, so I don't want you to go hungry."

"You needs food too!" she insisted, "You gonna save us, so you need to be strong and not sleepy."

The little girl tugged on the chain that connected her ankle to the wall, "I can't break it, but you almost did once!"

"I know. I was strong then, but I'm getting weaker. You're young, so it's easy for you to regain energy faster. I'm older, so it takes me longer."

She shook her head, her unevenly chopped hair bouncing around her cheeks, "I tiny. I hide, not break chains…"

"You can get into small places." Sarben thought for a minute. "If I can break your chains, you can sneak out of here and go back to the village and tell everyone what's happening."

"But we far away from home… I get lost and—what if another mean human gets me?"

"You're a smart girl, I know you are. You'll know how to avoid humans, although you could go upstairs into the castle and find a woman who looks like she's a mother. You would have to avoid the bad man, of course, but you are small, and you can hide in small places to avoid him."

"A mommy? Your mommy?" she asked.

"No, my son's mommy. She's human, but she's kind, I promise."

"Mister mer's friend's mommy?"

Sarben nodded. "She was going to be my wife before I was taken away by the bad man."

"So….nice lady? Won't scare me?"

"No, she won't scare you. She's the nicest lady you'll ever meet, besides your own mommy."

She gave it a thought before nodding, "Okay, I try to find the nice mommy to your growed-up baby."

"Yes, he's all grown up now…" Sarben sighed, regretting that he was never around to help raise Anakin.

"Maybe I find him too!"

"You might. As far as I know, he lives in the castle still."

"She smiled and pat his arm, "I find him to make you happy again!" she promised. "Daddy hugs are best hugs!"

Sarben chuckled. "He's never seen me before, so meeting each other for the first time might be rough. I don't know how he'll react to me."

"He needs daddy hugs!" she insisted, climbing into his lap and snuggling into his chests, "I want my mommy and daddy hugs…"

"I know. You'll have them again, I promise. We'll get out of here alive." Sarben hugged the girl as close as he could.

 

* * *

 

"So what was it like, your father's home village?" Obi-Wan asked as he floated comfortably in a warm patch of water they found.

"Oh, Obi, it was so nice to be around so many elves. They were celebrating a moon festival as well, so there were so many people around partying and just having a good time. I didn't want to leave." Anakin smiled as he remembered his time with his family.

Obi-Wan smiled, "We celebrate the moon festival as well, though for us it's during the icy part of the year."

"Is there a sun festival to compliment it?"

"Yes, but it's not as big a celebration. After all, the moon controls the tides. She is important to our world, and is seen as the goddess who created the ocean and the magic gifted to our world under the waves. The sun is the god of fire and is more important to the races that gain their magic from him." Obi-Wan glanced at Anakin, "Old records show that humans stopped believing in the gods; is that still true?"

Anakin shrugged. "Some still believe in many, some believe in only one, some believe there is none."

"Sounds complicated, and I thought the many names each one had was complicated enough." He laughed, "Different races, different languages… one god or goddess can have hundreds of names. Maybe humans believe they are all different gods and goddesses which has confused them into splitting off into different beliefs." He wondered out loud.

"Maybe. Now people have their own opinions on things, and that's that. People who believe worship their gods or god, and people who don't believe go on with their lives."

"I just hope they are able to coexist peacefully." Obi-Wan said. "But let's get back to the magical village! You said there was a place it connected to the ocean?"

"Yeah, there's a pool that connects to the ocean. Apparently mers used to visit the village all the time until the humans started hunting magical races. But if we can find out where it connects, I can show you the village! You'd love it so much."

"To have a safe place to sun ourselves again…my whole village would love to know this forgotten secret. To reconnect with non-ocean magical races also hiding from the humans… And for me to meet your family."

"You can be on land safely, and I can show you around. It's deep in the forest so there are trees everywhere, and there's a dryad protecting the whole place from the outside."

"A dryad?" Obi-Wan smiled, "So the nymph races also managed to stay hidden—not surprised thinking of their nature and powers with their elements."

Anakin nodded. "Yeah, she was really tall, and it looked like her hair could almost change with the seasons, she was so cool."

"I'd like to meet her sometime, myself."

"I want to just talk to her. I've never met a dryad before."

"I'm sure you'll go back sometime when you have the time to properly make friends. You said this first time was just a quick trip there and back with only a few short hours to speak with your father's family."

"Yeah, Mom worried about me drinking that potion, so we went to see a healer."

"To be fair, I worried, too. So if a magical healer said you're fine, then that makes me happy." Obi-Wan smiled, reaching out to pull them closer and into a kiss.

Anakin smiled in the kiss, humming lightly. "The healer said I'm fine. Both you and my mom can be at ease now."

"Good." Obi-Wan nuzzled him with a happy sigh that sent a few bubbles dancing their way up from his mouth.

Anakin nuzzled back with a smile. "I'm glad that potion worked. Getting to swim with you as a mer is so much better than as a human."

"It's nice being able to share one of our worlds with each other properly. Especially considering we'll be life mates, soon."

"I've been thinking about that recently. I'd be spending more time in the water than I'm used to. Not that it would bother me, but I feel like I'd need times to go back on land for a day or two."

"If you're worried that would upset me, don't. You aren't a mer. You were born on land, I understand your need to spend time there."

"Especially now that I've met the elf part of my family." Anakin sighed. "I don't mean to worry. I guess I'm more thinking of my mom and how she's going to react when I spend more time in the water."

"I wish I could spend time with you on land, too." Obi-Wan sighed.

"I mean I could just carry you around, but my arms would get tired after a while." Anakin chuckled. "I think we'll be fine as long as I'm able to be a mer in the water."

"I know you're happy this way, but it'd be nice if we could share our worlds equally. I'm curious about where you came from…even if it's full of humans who have already shown that they wouldn't let me go about my business…"

"Maybe in the future when humans are more accepting of magical races, we can get you on land somehow."

"I'd like that." Obi-Wan said, scratching a spot on his chin, "So are you spending the whole night in the water with me, or will you be going back on land?"

"I don't know. I may stay here tonight. My tutor has been giving me a weird vibe recently, and I'm not sure if want to be around him right now."

"What do you mean? What's he been doing?"

"He's been asking more questions than usual about mers. It's really throwing me off."

Obi-Wan blinked in surprise, "What kind of questions?"

"Very personal questions... If I've seen another mer, where mers live now, diets of mers, daily life." Anakin shook his head, his hair floating around his head delicately. "It's worrying me."

"I suppose he could be curious, but I wasn't there to witness it or hear his tone."

"It was very much like he was trying to get information out of me that I wasn't willing to give by any means."

"Should we be worried?"

Anakin hesitated before answering. "Maybe. It was awfully convenient that he showed up with that shape-shifting potion the night we were talking about being together in one environment."

"What do you think it all means?"

"Either he's a crazy mer fan... Or he has some bad plan he wants to put in motion."

Obi-Wan frowned, "What would he have to gain by helping you join my world in the ocean?"

"Getting access to your magic," Anakin suddenly realized, his eyes growing wide.

"I don't see how you being able to swim with me would give him access to my magic…"

"If he's able to track me somehow, then he can figure out where the mer city is, and if he finds the city, he finds a source of magic that's almost limitless because of the mer population."

"But it's so far down, we haven't ever seen even those—what do you call them? Submarines? –down nearly as deep as our hidden city."

"I don't know how he'd track me. Maybe magic or something, but if he finds out a way, he's going to find out where the mers live."

"There's a strong spell on the city entrance. Only those who have physically been in the city before can find it."

"I guess you're right. I have a bad feeling about this though."

"What if we start meeting in the marshbloom cave instead of the waters right by the castle?"

"That might work better. No harm in trying it."

Obi-Wan nodded, "And that way if you're late meeting me, you won't have to worry about me sitting out in the open like some confused seagull."

"I don't want you to get captured by some human who thinks they can just take you away from your home with no questions asked." Anakin pulled Obi-Wan in for a protective hug.

"We'll both stay safe."

"I hope so."

"Hey, Ani…would you like to explore the old mer city with me?" Obi-Wan asked, "It is beautiful and still holds magic from when we lived there."

"Really? You want to show me the old mer city?" Anakin's eyes lit up and he smiled. "Of course I want to go!"

"It's actually not too far from here." Obi-Wan said, holding out his hand for Anakin's.

"Well then let's go. I'm dying to see what old life for mers used to be like." Anakin grabbed Obi-Wan's hand, letting him lead the way.

Obi-Wan chuckled, kissing the back of his hand before pulling him along to warmer waters closer to the surface.

Swimming off to the old mer city, Anakin stuck close to Obi-Wan. He enjoyed the close company as he always did, and he especially enjoyed it now as they were swimming to the city. He felt connected to Obi-Wan more than he had in the past. Every day his senses as a mer grew stronger, and so did his affection for the red-headed mer. It amazed him just how quickly their relationship had gone from acquaintances to future life mates.

In the distance a city lit by moonlight appeared, sparkling as if the whole thing was carved out of diamonds. Obi-Wan paused with a smile, "There it is. Our home we hope to return to one day."

"It hardly looks abandoned…" Anakin let go of Obi-Wan's hand and swam forward, looking over the city's skyline, or what the mer city's equivalent was. "This place is beautiful. It's far enough out and just deep enough that humans would never know it existed."

"But they did know. That's why we evacuated." Obi-Wan said, starting to swim towards it again, "This city is how my people are supposed to live. Not crowded together in a space too small to fit us, but in a grand city with the homes spaced out in the outer circle, then the trade district is next to it, and the grand, tall, impressive buildings in the center is the rest."

"Humans today wouldn't know this is here. It's so impressive; I can't believe it's not been mentioned in human history books. I mean, it's common knowledge that humans discovered and destroyed several magical races, but nothing is ever mentioned in our books. Humans don't want the newer generations to know about this…" Anakin felt a sadness wash over him as he watched the silent city. "There should be sounds of life here… but instead, it's like everyone is dead."

They swam into the outer circle-the residential area with cute homes of different sizes with soft sand lawns, boulders and coral making each one look unique. The buildings weren't like the ones in the hidden city. They weren't made of clay and bits of shell, but rather they looked more like carved marble polished to a  shine that one could almost see their reflection.

"If you have an old library of information your ancestors collected, you should find mention of this city. You're the prince, right? The royal family to our neighboring human kingdom—your kingdom—had been granted access to our city before. Mer mages would work together to trap air in a bubble of water which would hold a human and bring them down here. In one of the towers was a room that was designed for land-based races where they would be taken for delegations or celebrations. I'm not sure if that room still functions, though."

"Can you take me to it? We can see if it still works."

"I'm not exactly sure where it is. I just know from history classes that it was in a tower in the city's center."

"Well then let's go find some towers. I'm sure we'll find it if we look hard enough."

"We can try, but we shouldn't stay out too late. We do need some sleep tonight."

"We could spend the night here," Anakin suggested with a smirk on his face.

"I doubt we'll find any nests intact." Obi-Wan warned.

"We can make one then. Settle down in one of the sand patches and have a nice little sleep over."

"I guess we can see what we can find to make a decent enough sleeping nest so we don't get too cold tonight." Obi-Wan agreed.

"I'm sure we'll find plenty of things. An abandoned city is bound to have lots of supplies left behind."

"We'll see." He repeated, looking up at the center of the city, "But for now…which tower should we try first?"

"How about the tallest? Seems like a logical place to start, wouldn't you think?"

"Maybe." He agreed, "Race you there?"

"You're on!" Anakin laughed and took off as fast as his tail could carry him.

"Cheater!" Obi-Wan laughed, taking off right after him.

"Bet I can actually beat you in this race," Anakin called over his shoulder.

"You say with a head start!" He called back, "It doesn't count!"

"Sure it does, I can swim like a mer this time." Anakin laughed as he picked up a little speed.

"Fair races count, leg-boy!" Obi-Wan teased.

"If you want a fair race, then catch up!"

"Still not fair when I have to work extra hard to get there when we should have started from the same place at the same time!"

Anakin just laughed and continued on, moving his tail as fast as he could to propel himself forward. He hadn't really explored how fast he could actually swim yet, so as a result, the race was more exciting for the prince than he had expected.

Obi-Wan struggled to keep the gap as close as he could, unable to close it completely to get a chance at taking the lead.

Anakin whizzed past the tower at an incredible speed, though he let his tail rest as soon as he was past the tower. He caught his breath as he slowed down  and turned back around to head back to the tower.

It took a few seconds for Obi-Wan to catch up, knocking right into him as he was going too fast to swerve out of the way. The two tumbled away from the tower, being carried by the gentle current in the water. Anakin ended up wrapping his arms around Obi-Wan to keep him from floating off.

"Sorry…" Obi-Wan muttered, embarrassed.

Anakin leaned forward and kissed Obi-Wan. "Don't worry about it."

"I've never won a race." He admitted, "Tail too short… I thought maybe since you're still learning I'd have a chance, but I couldn't even catch up, so I didn't realize you had stopped until too late."

"Oh… sorry. If I would have known, I'd have let you win."

"I don't want special treatment!" Obi-wan pouted. "Come on, let's look for an entrance."

Anakin followed Obi-Wan around the tower in search of an entrance. There were doors that were magically locked and windows with bars over them, so many of the possible entrances were unusable. "I don't think we're getting into this tower," he commented.

"I don't think so, either." Obi-Wan sighed, "Let's try looking around that one." he pointed.

"Maybe we can split up. You search that tower and I search the one next to it."

"I'd rather stay together. It's more exciting to explore with you than alone."

"You sure? We can cover more ground if we split up."

"I'm sure. We're doing this together."

"Alright, but don't think I don't know that you just want to be closer to me since we're alone." Anakin smirked.

"I don't know what you mean." Obi-Wan smiled.

"I bet you just want to find some alley and get to know each other really well."

The mer tilted his head, "I already know you quite well."

"I meant we can explore other parts of our relationship."

"What do you mean?"

"You know... Getting more intimate with each other."

Obi-wan looked confused, "We already kiss and cuddle…"

"Yeah but we can do more than that, you know. If the mood is right and we're both wanting it, nothing would stop us from having sex," Anakin said a bit bluntly.

"You wish to try to have a pup with me?"

"Well maybe in the future, but I would like to try sex with you, if you also want to."

"Sex is for making pups, though."

Anakin tilted his head. "Do mers not have sex for pleasure?"

"Humans do?"

"Yeah, it's actually a pretty big part of the sex lives of human relationships."

"I see. I don't understand why…but then again, because of the mer way to go about sex, I haven't ever had it before so I wouldn't know if it is pleasurable or not."

"To be fair... I don't know what it's like either."

"But because your people do enjoy it casually rather than only to have pups, you want to try it?"

"I would, yeah... Most people do it because they're in love with their partner, and having sex is the best way to get as close to your partner as possible."

Obi-Wan considered it for a moment, "If you want to try it, then I will consent." He finally decided, cupping Anakin's cheek, "You went through so much to join my world, I want to try adopting some of your world, too. Life mates share their lives."

Anakin smiled and pulled Obi-Wan into a hug. "You're the greatest, Obi-Wan. I love you so much."

Obi-Wan blushed, "How do humans do it for pleasure? Is there anything in particular that we should do, or does it just start like when you try to have pups?"

"It's generally the same thing, except for the end. You just pull out or something."

"Okay, sorry if I'm awkward at this." Obi-Wan nodded, "And I remember you said that human males can't carry, and as the potion you took didn't turn you into a true mer…your parts are probably still human-like. I assume you won't have a submissive part under your dominant part. I'll submit."

"Are you sure? I don't want you to be uncomfortable with the situation."

"Well, if you don't have a slit, then I can't take the dominant position with you. As long as you aren't bothered by the idea that if your human 'pull out' method fails, we may end up with a pup way earlier than planned…"

"I'll be careful since mers don't have protection against this."

"But if we do, you'll be okay with it? You'd be a father…"

"If it happens..." Anakin thought about it. "I know I'm young, just barely an adult. I don't think I'm quite ready for parenting. Maybe I can grab some protection that humans use and use it for us."

"Tonight?  Because it sounded like you wanted to try…getting to know each other better tonight."

"In the future we can try that. If you're willing to try tonight, I'll make sure I'm careful."

Obi-Wan nodded, "You made me really want to try it." He admitted.

"Then we can try it tonight." Anakin smiled and kissed Obi-Wan's cheek.

"We giving up on the air room for now, then?"

"For now, yeah. Let's just focus on finding nest materials and then we can settle down start things."

"Okay. Nesting materials…in an abandoned city." He nodded, his cheeks and nose a deep pink.

* * *

To be continued…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, Next chapter is the sexy times chapter. Skip it if you are uncomfortable with the idea of mer sex. I'm not sure if there is any important info in the chapter for the over-all story as it's been a few months since the chapter was written. So when I reread it in editing before posting I'll take notes of any important non-sexy details that may be in it and include it in the chapter's beginning notes/chap summary for anyone who chooses not to read the chapter itself. But we had separated the sex scene to its own chapter just for easy skipping, so I don't think there is anything important. But yeah, here's your heads up on what to expect!


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is basically all mer sex, so if that makes you uncomfortable, please feel free to skip it, and just take note that Anakin and Obi-Wan do discuss the possibility of Anakin carrying Obi-Wan to his bath tub to possibly finally meet Shmi, later.  
> For those of you who do wish to read the sex scene: Enjoy! ;)

"Okay, I think this is as good as it's going to get with what we found." Obi-Wan said, patting down the shallow nest he made with Anakin's help as he taught him how. "Won't be as nice as the one we sleep in at home, but it's better than nothing."

"It's a nest we made together, so it'll be perfect." Anakin smiled at Obi-Wan and leaned over to kiss his cheek.

"Our next one will be better." Obi-Wan said, settling into the nest to test it out.

"Our next one will hopefully be in our own home." Anakin moved so he was floating over Obi-Wan. "Is it comfortable?"

"Needs one more thing to be comfortable." Obi-Wan smiled, yanking Anakin into the nest.

"Well of course it's more comfortable with me in it, silly." Anakin chuckled and nuzzled Obi-Wan.

"I know, that's why I pulled you in." he chuckled, kissing him.

The prince kissed back with a smile, wrapping his arms around Obi-Wan's waist to hold him closer.

Obi-Wan's tail began wrapping around Anakin's as they kissed, pulling each other closer.

They kissed for a while not doing much else but holding each other tight and enjoying the close company as they kissed. After a bit, Anakin moved his lips to Obi-Wan's neck, leaving light, almost teasing kisses.

The mer hummed, tilting his head back, "Tickles…"

"Does it? Will it still tickle if I go lower?" Anakin shifted so he could start to kiss Obi-Wan's collarbone.

"It's not an unpleasant tickle… it's soft."

"So it feels good then? It's not too out of the ordinary for you?"

"It's different, but nice. Sex for mers are usually right to the point…"

"That sounds so boring. Do mers even find pleasure in it?"

"They find happiness in the pregnancy."

"I can understand that's a thing to be happy about, but the process of becoming pregnant not being pleasurable to mers is odd to me." Anakin pulled back slightly. "Do mers have any sort of reaction at all?"

"Reaction, how? Granted I've never taken part in such things before, I just know what was taught to us once we grew old enough to learn about reproduction."

"Like not just lying there while the other does the work, or something like that. Mers do still touch each other and really get into the sex, right?"

I'm…not sure? I know that the submissive mate gets pinned down so it's easier to have sex. Floating freely in the water makes it a little difficult, I hear."

"Well, I guess since this is the first time for both of us, there's a lot to be explored. Not that it all has to be explored tonight." Anakin gently cupped Obi-Wan's face.

"Well, we'll do things our way. We are sort of a special couple." Obi-Wan smiled.

"That we are." Anakin smiled back, going back to kissing down Obi-Wan's body slowly.

"Should I kiss you like this, too?" Obi-Wan asked, taking one of Anakin's hands.

"If you like. Humans are very touchy creatures. We like to touch and be touched in return."

Obi-Wan nodded, "Then I will touch. Tell me if I do something you don't like. I don't want you to feel uncomfortable with me."

"I'll ask the same of you. A moment like this is too special for dislikes to be cast aside." Anakin nuzzled just below Obi-Wan's collarbone while his hands roamed gently over pale skin.

"I am a little nervous, I admit." Obi-Wan whispered, looking up into Anakin's eyes. "Is that normal for humans? To feel nervous? Because it's not for mers…"

Anakin chuckled. "It's perfectly normal to feel nervous. I'm nervous too."

That seemed to help Obi-Wan relax a bit as he smiled and gave a nod before kissing the side of Anakin's hand.

Anakin let out a happy sigh and he spread his fingers out. His other hand went lower on Obi-Wan's body, stopping where skin ended and scales started.

Obi-Wan shivered, "Do humans work the same as mers, or do you need help knowing how to get things started down there?"

"I'm assuming it's at least a little different, considering if we were both human right now our genitals would be out in the open rather than hidden."

"They hang out? All the time? Where they can get knocked around? Doesn't it hurt to do that?" Obi-Wan asked with wide eyes.

"Not necessarily. I'm used to them not being inside my body like they are now, so it's not strange to me of course."

"Is that why humans wear so many layers all the time? We have such garments, too, but they are for special occasions and celebrations. But if you need to protect yourselves…"

"There are some who go around with no clothes on, but they live in areas nowhere near where I live. I'm always used to wearing clothes to cover up things."

"I'm curious as to what you'd look like without any of those on when you are in your human form." Obi-Wan said bluntly.

Anakin laughed. "Well I'd have to bring you into my bathtub then. We take the clothes off to clean ourselves."

"You couldn't show me at our meeting places?"

"Well, I just thought it'd be nice to show you my home as well, seeing as you've already shown me yours."

"I just thought since you don't trust the human that made the potion…"

Anakin shrugged. "He never goes to my room, so we'd be safe there."

Obi-Wan nodded, "Alright, if you think it'll be safe, then I trust you. We just will need to make sure I don't dry out."

"I can make sure my bathtub is filled with water, since I have a private bathroom connected to my bedroom."

Obi-Wan nodded, "Okay, I trust you." He smiled, "But for now, the way you get things started like this." He slid his fingers down along Anakin's happy trail to below where the scales started and about where his crotch would be if he were in human form. The scales were in a more oval pattern there, and they were more sensitive as Obi-Wan's fingers stroked and teased them until they loosened and opened up to allow his member to come out, already standing proud, and still looking very much human.

Anakin watched Obi-Wan's fingers work, feeling himself grow excited just by the touch on the sensitive scales. "Interesting...so I do the same thing for you then?"

"Yes…did that feel pleasurable for you?" Obi-Wan asked.

"Yeah..." Anakin flushed lightly as he moved his hand to the spot on Obi-Wan's tail that was similar to where the redhead had touched him. His fingers were gentle and slow, but they did their part to work lose the scales.

Obi-Wan bit down on his lower lip as he was coaxed open, just as Anakin had been. Finally the scales parted and his own erection slipped out, ready with a slit directly underneath it.

Anakin simply watched Obi-Wan for a bit, taking in how the redhead was reacting to everything. It was a much different experience than what two humans would have, but it was unique, and Anakin didn't find himself being driven away by the differences in the situation. He leaned down and started kissing around the patch of scales that had opened up, hoping it would get a reaction out of Obi-Wan.

"Oh!" Obi-Wan gasped in surprise, looking down at Anakin with red cheeks.

Anakin looked up while placing a kiss at the base of the opening, and then he nuzzled it. He felt himself grow a little harder after hearing Obi-Wan's reaction.

"Sorry, I was not expecting…" Obi-Wan flustered.

The blond pulled back just a little. "Did you not like it?"

"I didn't dislike it! I just…never heard of anyone using their mouth down there when preparing…"

"Must be a human thing. Humans use their mouths a lot when preparing."

"Sounds strange, but…feels good." Obi-Wan admitted.

"We use our fingers too..." Anakin took his index finger and rubbed it against the edge of Obi-Wan's open patch of scales.

"We do too, obviously, but only until we open up…" Obi-Wan said, wiggling a little as Anakin rubbed the sensitive area.

"No wonder mers don't really get pleasure out of this. They don't do much more to stimulate anything." Anakin moved his finger to run up Obi-Wan's erection.

Obi-Wan's member twitched and he gasped; "Seems we aren't incapable of enjoying it like humans, we just probably never tried…"

"Should definitely encourage it, especially since you're reacting positively." Anakin smiled as he moved his fingers lower to run over the slit just below.

"I'm sure Quinlan specifically would love this." Obi-Wan chuckled, "But for now, we—ohh…" He shivered again, his tail curling up in reaction to the touch.

"That felt good, didn't it?" Anakin smiled, pushing his finger inside just slightly.

The mer gasped again, "Y-yeah, I—how do my people not do this for enjoyment with their life mates?" he moaned.

"Maybe we should start a trend." The blond curled his finger just a little, using his other hand to start stroking Obi-Wan's dick gently and slowly.

"Don't have to try convincing me…" he moaned, finding himself unable to wiggle around in the nest.

"Too much, little more?" Anakin put some of his weight on Obi-Wan, their tails twisting together the more intimate they got.

"I don't know, I like it, but…I want to touch you, too." He said, looking for permission to try. Though he knew that he hadn't seen a slit, just as he thought there wouldn't be. It didn't mean that Anakin's member wouldn't be sensitive, though.

"Please..." Anakin didn't want to sound too desperate, but he had been longing to be touched. His cock twitched with the printer of being touched.

Obi-Wan pulled Anakin up a little further so he could reach down, running his fingers along his length before gripping it and giving it a little squeeze. "Do you know what kind of touching you'd like here?"

"Just start with some strokes and we'll go from there." Anakin rolled his hips forward so Obi-Wan could grip him better. Even just the hand on his cock was enough to send butterflies through his stomach.

Obi-Wan nodded and began to slowly stroke Anakin. Watching him for reactions.

Anakin let out a sigh and grabbed the edge of the nest. He'd move his hips every once in a while.

Obi-Wan smiled and began to stroke him more confidently. "You enjoy my touch like this."

"Oh god yeah," the blond sighed.

"I'm glad." Obi-Wan said, pushing himself up into Anakin's lips and kissing him.

Anakin leaned heavily into the kiss, his hips moving in somewhat of a rhythm every so often. The further they went along, the more he realized that he was glad he could experience his first time at the same time that Obi-Wan would experience his.

Obi-Wan let go of Anakin and cupped both his cheeks as he slowly withdrew from the kiss, looking up into Anakin's eyes with a smile, "I feel less nervous now."

Anakin smiled back, leaning into one of Obi-Wan's hands. "Me too."

"I think I'm ready to try this with you." He whispered, lightly kissing Anakin's eyelids.

Anakin hummed lightly. "I feel like I've waited a long time for this... But I never knew I wanted it."

"Hmm, I'd like to think you waited your whole life to feel ready, and I'm that special someone that made you feel ready to want it." The mer said, running one hand down along Anakin's side.

"I think that's exactly how I feel." Anakin smiled and kissed the base of Obi-Wan's neck.

"I love you, Ani." Obi-Wan said, kissing the top of his head.

"I love you too," Anakin said with a tone that was rougher than before.

Obi-Wan's lips twitched into a cocky smile as his hand slipped from Anakin's hip to tease at his length again.

Anakin rolled his hips forward into Obi-Wan's hand. "I bet your mind won't be so clear the moment I'm inside you."

"If it's anything like when you were teasing me down there, you're probably right." Obi-Wan agreed.

"I expect it to be better than when I was touching you." Anakin moved his hand back down to Obi-Wan's opening and pried open the slit with a couple fingers.

Obi-Wan wiggled again with a moan deep in his throat, "I can't imagine…"

"You don't have to imagine," Anakin nearly purred as he took control of the situation, shifting and grabbing his cock to line it up with the slit. "Are you ready?"

Looking down at the sight of his mate at his entrance, he gave a nod and smiled, "I'm ready to find out what this is like with you."

With the permission given, Anakin slowly started to insert himself into Obi-Wan. He let out a small groan at the feeling of being inside his lover.

Gasping, Obi-Wan wrapped his arms around Anakin's torso, squeezing him as he got used to the sensation.

Anakin shivered lightly once he was fully inside Obi-Wan. He had to pause and let himself adjust to the new feeling that nearly drive him over the edge already. "Holy shit," he cursed under his breath.

"G-good?" Obi-Wan asked.

"Never felt anything like this... Are you still good?"

"Ye-ah…" he nodded, looking up into Anakin's eyes, "It feels good."

"Good." The blond cupped Obi-Wan's face. "Are you ready for me to start moving?"

Obi-Wan nodded, "But only if you kiss me." He smirked.

Anakin smiled and leaned down to kiss the redhead, then he started moving his hips in a slow rhythm.

Obi-Wan kissed back, little noises of pleasure muffles against his lips as his own hips shifted to meet the movements.

Both kissing and hip movements were slow and sensual, producing several noises of pleasure out of the both of them. Anakin only picked up the pace when Obi-Wan started to settle into the current pace, but only a little speed was gained each time the pace increased.

Obi-Wan's moans grew a little louder with the pace, and he broke the kiss, looking up at Anakin. His lips parted as if he was going to say something, only to crush their lips back into a kiss.

Tails wrapped around each other as the intensity of the thrusts went up. Anakin started letting out more grunts and groans to go along with his thrusts into Obi-Wan.

"Mmani…" Obi-Wan gasped against the kiss, muddling his pronunciation greatly. He felt a heat gathering in his gut, and his tail squeezed Anakin's as he felt the pleasure was too great but not enough at the same time, almost as if he'd—

It happened; his back curving into the nest as he broke the kiss, crying out with his climax.

Anakin paused with a louder groan, holding back from reaching his own climax while he was still inside his lover. Quick thinking served him well, because almost immediately after he made the decision to pull out, he was overcome with a feeling that took over his whole body and left him shaking, his climax finally washing over.

Mind still foggy from his release, Obi-Wan's instinct took over and he reached down, stroking Anakin again as he felt his own climax. It simply made sense to do so in order to stimulate him as if he was still inside him. He only could hope that his actions weren't wrong.

Anakin groaned as his body slowly relaxed from his orgasm. When he had calmed down enough to have a clear mind, he looked down at Obi-Wan with a smile and kissed him.

Obi-Wan wiggled over in the nest and pulled his mate into it to snuggle with him, his eyes closing gently with his cheek resting on Anakin's shoulder, "I understand why humans do that for pleasure now." He whispered.

Anakin laughed. "Glad we're both in the same boat. My brother told me it was good, but he didn't say how good."

"To be fair, it's something unimaginable until you experience it." Obi-Wan hummed, nuzzling closer.

"Very true. I'm glad we did it." Anakin held Obi-Wan closer.

"Won't mind doing it again sometime." Obi-Wan said with a yawn. "But for now I feel drained and ready for a good night's rest in your arms."

"I can agree with that." Anakin yawned and curled up around Obi-Wan. "I'm sure my mom won't worry too much about me being gone..."

"If she knows you were meeting me, I'm sure she'll be fine." Obi-Wan kissed his shoulder, "…I still need to meet her…"

"Maybe in the morning we can go to the shore and sneak into the castle without anyone noticing. If we're early enough that is."

"Now that sounds like an adventure." He chuckled.

Anakin smiled and closed his eyes, and slowly sleep overtook both him and Obi-Wan, and they slept very well until the first rays of the morning sun began to light up the abandoned city.

* * *

To be continued…


	16. Chapter 16

Warm rays of sunlight filtered through the water and fell across the sleeping mers, warming them and coaxing them from their slumber. Obi-Wan awoke first, sitting up and rubbing his eyes as he glanced around, his gaze finally settling on his mate with a soft smile and the sweet memories of the night before.

Happily, Obi-Wan leaned over and nipped lightly at Anakin's ear. "Morning."

Anakin groaned, moving his head to the side as he start to wake up.

"Sleep well?"

Anakin yawned as he opened his eyes, a small smile gracing his lips. "Yeah."

Obi-Wan chuckled and kissed his cheek, "We should head out if we wanted to visit your 'bathtub' place."

"Right." The prince stretched, his tail going over the edge of the nest before he got out with a smile. "Looks like a nice day for a swim near the surface."

"And hopefully not running into any hunting nets humans drop." Obi-Wan nodded, flicking his fins before drifting out of the nest. "Let's go."

Grabbing Obi-Wan's hand, the two of them made their way back towards the shore, staying close to the surface to enjoy the morning sunlight that made the blue waters sparkle in a very magical way. In a sense, the whole day felt magical. The emotions that lingered after sex remained, allowing the both of them to swim fairly close to each other comfortably.

"I hope she approves of me—your mother." Obi-Wan said as they approached the beach, "I don't know what I'd do if she rejected me as your future life mate."

"I highly doubt she'd reject you. I've told her about you before, and she's just as invested in keeping the magical races safe as I am."

"Still, having the parents' blessings before the ceremony strengthens the bond. Father gave us his blessing, and now we need your mother's."

"Don't worry, Obi. I'm sure she'll approve of our relationship. I honestly don't know why she wouldn't."

"Maybe she doesn't like redheads?" Obi-Wan suggested, running a hand through his hair with a small chuckle.

"Your hair has nothing to do with this and you know that." Anakin rolled his eyes with a smirk.

"It could." He smirked, then started slowing down, his hand, still held by Anakin's, pulled in front of him as they moved into the shallows. He kept his head down under the water, "Is the way clear?"

Anakin popped his head out of the water, shaking it to release the loose droplets of water. It still being early in the day, no one had made their way to the beach yet. "It's clear. The guards should be switching out soon."

Obi-Wan nodded and pushed himself up to look around as well, "Then we should move fast."

Anakin pulled Obi-Wan along until they got to the shore. He touched the sand, and immediately his body switched forms. Thankfully he had worn at least some shorts before the transition the night before. The air was a bit chilly, and his bare skin was not used to the light breeze, but that didn't stop him from reaching down and picking Obi-Wan up out of the water.

The mer wrapped his arms around Anakin's shoulders to help support his weight and his tail curled up so Anakin wouldn't step on his fins by accident.

"You know… water takes off a lot of weight," Anakin said as he started heading for the castle.

"Am I too heavy for you?" Obi-Wan asked.

"No, I can still carry you. I just forget how much gravity works on a person when they're on land."

"I really wouldn't know." Obi-Wan chuckled. "But if I do get too much for you, please just admit it to yourself and set me down to readjust—don't go on until you drop me."

"Don't worry, I'm not going to drop you." Anakin chuckled as he walked through the sand. He hated how it felt under his bare feet.

"I feel I'm allowed to be nervous about it. I'm already farther from the water I have ever been in my life."

"I know, but I'd never drop you intentionally. Besides, when we get to my bedroom, I'll fill up my bathtub with water and you can be comfortable again."

"Is your room close? The castle is so large."

"Yeah, it won't take too long. You're not going to dry out by the time we get there."

Obi-Wan nodded, looking around at all the new sights as they left the sandy beach.

The two were lucky enough to pass by the guards' posts during the changing from night shifts to day shifts, so no guards were around to see them sneak inside. Anakin made a beeline for his room, going as fast as he could with a merman in his arms. He had to pause before the stairs and motivate himself to go up. When he found his motivation, he nearly ran up the stairs.

Finally they got to his room. He shifted Obi-Wan around so he could turn the doorknob, and as soon as they were inside, he closed the door behind him and exhaled, leaning heavily against the door.

"Seems a lot of work when you can't just swim up." Obi-Wan teased him with a kiss before looking around Anakin's private rooms.

Anakin scoffed. "I prefer the water over climbing stairs." He moved over to the bed and set Obi-Wan down. "Wait here for now. I need to get the bathtub ready."

"Alright." He nodded looking down at the bed and shifting to make himself bounce slightly on the soft, bouncy piece of furnisher. Then he picked up a pillow, turning it over in his hands before spotting the teddy bear that had been hidden under it.

Anakin didn't see the mer pick up his pillow, as he was heading to his bathroom and not too worried what Obi-Wan might find. "You want the water cold or warm," Anakin asked from the bathroom.

"You can control that? Without use of magic?" Obi-Wan asked, surprised as he hugged the teddy to him, finding it put off a warm, comforting aura. "Warm waters are always nicer."

"Warm it is." The sound of rushing water soon followed, and then Anakin came out of the bathroom. "Oh... You found my bear."

"It has magic in it." Obi-Wan said, looking down at the toy, "A protection spell."

"Yeah, it's from my dad. He put the protection spell in it to keep me safe when I was growing up."

"It's a strong spell to still be so calming to hold. He put much love into this for you." Obi-Wan smiled, setting the bear on top of the pillow rather than under it.

"It's the closest thing I have to him being here. Makes me wish he was still around..." Anakin sighed.

Obi-Wan gave him a saddened smile for comfort, "He would be if he could."

"I'll find him one day. I have to." The prince went back to the bathroom to turn off the water. "Okay, the tub is ready when you are."

"I am always ready not to dry out. Obi-Wan chuckled.

Anakin smiled. "Good, and as soon as you're settled in, I'll go get my mom."

"I'm eager to meet her."

"I just hope she can handle meeting a mer this morning." Anakin chuckled as he lowered Obi-Wan into the bathtub.

"At least you brought me to your room rather than hers to surprise her." He laughed, settling into the large tub. The water lacked the natural elements that the ocean had, but the water wasn't unpleasant and would keep him comfortable and safe from drying out.

"Is it comfortable enough for not being the ocean?" Anakin dried off his hands so he wouldn't accidentally change forms.

"I'm guessing this is what they call 'fresh' water. It doesn't feel like the sea. But I'm fine. Mers are able to adapt between both, and have traveled rivers in the past before taking to hiding. This is just my first time in 'fresh' water." Obi-Wan assured him.

"Cool. When we find the tunnel that leads to the elf village, we'll have to swim in fresh water eventually, so I guess better to get used to it now rather than later." Anakin shrugged as he moved back towards the bathroom door. "Alright, I'll be right back with my mom."

Obi-Wan nodded, watching him leave before looking around the room.

Anakin threw on a shirt before he left his room in search of his mother. His first stop was her bedroom, but when he knocked, no one answered, so he moved on. His next stop was the kitchen. Anakin knew his mother liked to go there as soon as she was ready for the day. She wasn't there either, and Anakin huffed lightly. There weren't so many places his mother could be so early in the morning. Maybe she was still in her room, but Anakin figured it was unlikely, unless she was getting a shower.

Moving from the kitchen, Anakin simply wandered the halls, hoping to catch his mother somewhere.

"Were you out for a swim already? It's so early." Owen asked, eyeing his step-brother as he approached him from behind, "I swear you're turning into a fish."

Anakin jumped at Owen's voice. "Jeez, you scared me… Just looking for Mom. Have you seen her?"

"Nah, I was just on my way out for a morning jog. I saw dad walking towards the west courtyard with his breakfast, though. Maybe she's with him?"

"Maybe." Anakin pat Owen's shoulder as he brushed past him. "Thanks."

Owen nodded and continued on his way out.

The prince made his way out to the courtyard, shivering a little as the cool morning breeze hit him. At a little white table with a couple chairs sat his mother and step-father.

"Oh, Ani." His mother smiled when she spotted him, "Good morning. Are you joining us for breakfast?"

"I didn't bring food, but I will sit." Anakin took a seat and leaned over to kiss his mother's cheek.

"You're wet—were you swimming again this morning?" she asked.

"A little, yeah."

She smirked and shook her head, "Keeping you away from the water is like trying to pin a cloud to the ground."

"What can I say? I'm attracted to water." Anakin chuckled.

"Here, you must be hungry." Cliegg said, offering him a small bowl of fruit.

"Thanks." Anakin grabbed an apple and took a large bite out of it. "Swimming made me hungrier than I realized," he said after a bit.

"And how is your mer friend?" the stepfather asked, setting the bowl back down in the table's center.

"Great, we spent some time together last night." Anakin leaned on the table. "We talked about our relationship some. We're future life mates, so we talked about ceremonies, both mer and human. I thought maybe I could learn some elf traditions and we could include some of those in the ceremony."

"You should speak to your father's family for those traditions. Your father and I never got the chance to wed, so I didn't experience his traditions." Shmi suggested.

"Maybe this is wishful thinking… but wouldn't it be nice if we find him and we have a double ceremony? No offence to you, Cleigg."

"Hey, your mother and I married as friends, not lovers. Our marriage was for you boys' benefit, not ours, and if your father is found, I will gladly step aside to allow my best friend her dream come true." He said, holding up his hands. "Plus her being my wife saved her from a lot of gold-digging men trying to woo her."

"Well, I suppose I do thank you for that. I don't know what I'd do if something were to happen to Mom." Anakin smiled at Shmi. "But Obi says we should do two ceremonies. One for his family and one for ours."

"Makes sense, as mer traditions are likely under water and that's not the best place for human guests." Shmi chuckled. "I can't believe my baby boy is already getting married."

"I can't believe it either. It feels like I met Obi just yesterday, but the way I know him now is like I've known him for years." Anakin shook his head and glanced up towards his room.

"Some races have very short courting phases. Mers must be one of them." Cliegg said, "As a human, I worry that it's all moving too quickly, but I also know that for non-humans romantic bonds can develop much more quickly. I witnessed it between your mother and father."

Anakin shrugged. "Well, either way, we know where our relationship is heading, and I think that's a good place to be in."

"I just want to formally meet this young merman before you go saying the big 'I do'." Shmi said.

"About that... I'd like you to meet him today. Like as soon as we're done eating."

"Is he waiting at the beach?" she asked.

"No... He's in my bathtub..."

"In…your bathtub?" She blinked at him.

"Yeah, I carried him in this morning. We spent the night with each other."

"This is a vulnerable place for him to be. If someone were to find him, he couldn't escape." Cliegg said.

"Well I came looking for Mom as soon as he was settled in the bathtub, so the sooner we're done here, the better, if you don't mind me saying."

"We should go. I don't like the idea of him being left alone. If the wrong person saw you carrying him…" she shook her head and stood up, "I don't want you to lose him like I lost your father."

Anakin stood up as well. "I locked my bedroom before I left, so he should be safe in the bathroom."

"Good, but still, Even if he agreed to come here, he's likely very nervous while alone. How about you hurry back to him, and I'll swing by the kitchens to get the two of you some proper breakfast—what do mers eat? Fish?"

"Yes, but not raw. It has to be cooked." Anakin smiled as he turned and jogged away.

"I'll get him something he'll hopefully like." She promised.

The prince hurried back to his room as quick as he could. He didn't like the idea of leaving Obi-Wan alone for too long when there was the possibility of him getting caught. Thankfully Anakin found his bedroom still locked when he returned. He entered his room and called out to Obi-Wan. "Hey I'm back. My mom will be up in a little bit."

"Okay." Obi-Wan said as there was a series of splashes.

The mer sat curled up in the large tub, trying and failing to hold onto a bar of soap that kept slipping from his grip and falling into the water. He looked up at Anakin with embarrassment coloring his cheeks, "I can't seem to put your strange jumping rock back on its ledge! It keeps escaping into the water."

Anakin looked at the soap and laughed. "Yeah the soap can be hard to hold when it's wet."

"Is that what kind of rock this is? A soap?" Obi-Wan asked, trying yet again to capture it.

"It's not a rock. It's what humans use to clean themselves."

"That's strange—uhg. I just can't capture it. It doesn't like me." Obi-Wan said, giving up on trying to capture it and place it back on the soap holder.

"Don't worry about it. It'll be easier to get out when the water is gone." Anakin leaned over the edge of the tub and kissed Obi-Wan's cheek.

"You're sure?" he asked.

"Yeah, I'll get it later. It'll be fine floating around."

Obi-Wan nodded, looking down at it as it slipped under his tail.

Anakin watched the soap until there was a knock at the bedroom door. He got up and found his mother waiting. "Hey, close the door behind you. Hopefully no one will come by to talk to me."

She nodded and handed Anakin the covered trey she was carrying before gently closing the door. "I brought you both some fish and fruit slices to enjoy this morning. A nice breakfast tea, as well. I don't know if he'll like tea, but it's nice to try new things!"

"I'm sure he'll be willing to try." Anakin lead his mother back to the bathroom. "Obi, this is my mother, Shmi."

Obi-Wan sat up straight and turned on the charm as he smiled and bowed his head, "It is a pleasure to finally meet you, Lady Shmi—or would it be queen? I'm afraid I'm not accustomed to monarchies."

Shmi tilted her head, "What a beautiful language, but I'm afraid I can't--you do speak our language, right?"

Obi-Wan blinked, "Oh, she's not gifted with any sort of magic…" he sighed, disappointed.

"Oh, right… I can translate for you," Anakin offered. He turned to his mother. "He says it's nice to meet you, and he asks what to properly call you."

"Well, aren't you charming." She smiled, moving to the tub and sitting on the edge of it, "You may call me just Shmi—or mom, if you'd like. After all, Ani said you two are to be married."

Anakin nodded. "Mom, this is Obi-Wan, my future life mate and the elusive mer I met in the underwater cave before my birthday. He's the one who showed me the marshblooms like the one I gave you."

"You're much more handsome than on that shaky cell phone video that the press was showing so much. And your pearls are lovely."

Obi-Wan flushed, "Thank you, Shmi."

Anakin sighed. "I told those fishermen to not spread the news, but they never listened. I feel like every time we see each other now we're putting a lot of people in danger."

"I still don't quite understand those words. I'm not worried about a 'seal phone video', I'm more worried about the increase of human hunting nets that has been appearing in the waters."

"The video is the reason why there are more nets. Humans want to catch mers and either use them as pets or sources of magic. It's revolting."

"If they want pets, they should get land sharks!" Obi-Wan huffed, "My people are people, not pets."

"Humans would take anything as a pet, to be honest. It's dumb." Anakin shook his head. "This meeting wasn't support to be about this though. It was for you two to get to know each other."

The queen listened to the half of the conversation with amusement and confusion before shaking her head and changing the subject once more.

"I brought you some breakfast!" Shmi smiled, "Ani said you like fish, so I had some salmon prepared for you. I also have some fruit slices if you'd like to try it, and some nice tea. Ani, why don't you pull a small table in here."

"Sure." The prince went back into his room and grabbed one of the nightstands next to his bed. It wasn't large by any means, but it would serve its purpose for the situation.

"Good boy." Shmi smiled before turning back to her future son-in-law. "So, tell me about yourself. Any family?"

"Well, I'm adopted." Obi-Wan shrugged, "My birth parents died when I was very young and I was taken in by my adoptive father. Went from an only pup to having two older brothers." he then looked towards Anakin, hoping the other had heard so he could translate for her to understand his words.

"His parents died when he was young. His adoptive father looked after him then. He's got two brothers now," Anakin translated.

He then returned with the table and set it next to the tub. "I don't remember if I met your brothers. I met your dad, which was a bit scary, not gonna lie."

"My brothers live in different cities; you've only met a few of my puphood friends." Obi-Wan reminded him.

"So that Quinlan guy was just a friend, cool. I figured he was a friend or a brother by the way he acted."

"Yeah, he's the annoying friend I pretend I don't like, but can't help but like." Obi-Wan chuckled, "Annoying but lovable."

"So he's like a friend that means a lot more to you than just a friend. He's like family at this point."

"You could say that, yeah." Obi-Wan nodded.

Shmi brought over the breakfast tray and set it on the table before lifting the lid.

Anakin grabbed a few apple slices from the tray and popped one in his mouth. "My mom makes some god tea. I recommend trying it, but it is hot, so blow on it before you take a sip."

"What is tea?" Obi-Wan asked. "And what is a sip?"

"It's a drink. You consume it the same way you eat food." Anakin took a cup and poured a little bit of tea into it. He handed the cup to Obi-Wan for him to try.

"A drink? Food?" Obi-Wan took the cup and looked at the tinted water that smelled, well, lovely if he were being honest. But the idea of eating liquid was so foreign to him, he didn't know how to begin. He shook his head, "I'm sorry, I don't understand how I can eat this."

"Oh dear, I should have thought of how hard drinking would be to someone who lives in water." Shmi sighed, finding it easy to guess what the discussion was about.

Anakin made himself a cup of tea. "Here, like this." He blew on it to cool it, and then he took a sip. "See? You try."

Obi-Wan ducked his head down, blowing gently on his tea before he lifted it to his lips as Anakin had, letting a small amount wash over his tongue.

"You got it," Anakin said with a smile. "We have to drink something to stay alive. Usually it's water, but we indulge in other things to keep us hydrated."

Obi-Wan shifted his gaze before trying to chew the drink, which felt odd, like he was moving his jaw for no reason before he swallowed, pretending it was a bite of fish. The tea slid down his throat smoothly, warming him.

Anakin chuckled. "You don't have to chew it, I guess I should have clarified on that. You just swallow it."

"This 'drink' thing is the strangest sensation ever. It's just like, suddenly there is flavor on my tongue for no understandable reason, and if I swallow it warms my insides. Tastes wonderful, though." Obi-Wan said, taking another sip and trying to remind himself not to try and chew the flavor.

"I told you my mom makes good tea. We'll have to get you on land again to try other drinks we have."

"Yes, these treats would not work well in the sea." Obi-Wan agreed, making Anakin laugh before translating the statement for his mother.

Shmi chuckled lightly. "No, I suppose they wouldn't work too well in the ocean. They'd just float right out of your cup."

"I'll admit, it is a bit weird not drinking anything when I'm in my mer form. Just having the water be absorbed in through gills takes a while getting used to," Anakin said after he took another sip of his tea.

Obi-Wan set his cup down and picked up a piece of fish to bite into, "Thank you for sharing your morning meal with me. Some of your foods are strange to me but they taste good." He smiled at Shmi as Anakin once again translated

"I'm glad you like them have as much as you want."

"Can you tell me about the human life-mate ceremony? I think Anakin says you call it a marry?" the mer asked, taking another bite out of the piece of fish.

The prince smiled and fell easily into translating his lover's questions and statements for his mother each time he spoke, the conversation moving along almost as smoothly as if there wasn't a language barrier to overcome.

"Close. The actual ceremony itself is called a wedding. The relationship is called a marriage. The wedding is a big part of the relationship. It makes the two getting married legally partnered, and the government recognizes them as such that way."

"Anakin said that family and friends are there, too. Mer tradition is a much more private thing."

"How interesting. Some humans do choose to have a private wedding. It's just the two getting married and the officiator of the ceremony. Most prefer a large wedding however."

Obi-Wan smiled, "With mers it's just the two partners in a place special to them. They make their vows and leave a lasting mark upon each other as a reminder of their promise." he looked at Anakin, "…I should probably try to teach you the spell so you can mark me…and if you are unable to do it—then we'll have to figure out a way for you to do it another way…"

Anakin looked up from his tea, surprise causing him to forget to translate. "Mark you? What do you mean by that?"

"There's a spell we use that simply leaves a mark on whatever we are touching. Each person's mark is unique to them alone. But when taking a life mate we hold our mate's hand as we do it and the two marks mix, creating a completely new mark on both palms. I am told that it does sting, but that the pain fades quickly. Next time you see my father, look on his right hand and you'll see his life mate mark."

"Your dad has a life mate mark? What happened to his life mate? Did they die?"

"Yes, she was attacked by one of the prehistoric monsters of the deep. She escaped, but the injuries were too great and our healers were unable to save her. Father took losing her very hard."

Anakin slouched a bit. "Wow... That's got to be hard on him. Did he have any biological kids with her?"

"My brother Xanatos. Feemor was adopted like I was."

"I see. Has he ever thought about being with someone again," Anakin asked before drinking more tea.

"Again?" Obi-Wan blinked, "Anakin, mers mate for life. To take a life mate is showing the deepest commitment and love to our chosen other half."

"Sorry I guess I assumed that some mers can move on to another partner like humans can."

"When we take our vows, our hearts and souls become connected by threads of magic that not even death can break." Obi-Wan explained, "I assumed it was the same for all races…"

Anakin shrugged. "Humans can still love their old spouses who have died if they move on to look for another to love."

"Ani." Shmi interrupted them, making them realize that they had been forgetting to translate, "Is there a problem?"

Anakin looked at his mother. "Oh, no there's no problem. We were just talking about differences between mer and human relationships with spouses."

"That seems an important discussion to have so you are both on the same page when it comes to your relationship." She said, looking at the both of them.

"As we have just discovered." Obi-Wan nodded.

"Basically, if we're going to be life mates, we're dedicated for life," Anakin explained. "No partners afterwards if something happens to one of us."

"That is the mer way." Obi-Wan said, grabbing Anakin's hand, "And I'll stay true to it if I lose you. But if you lose me…if humans are able to find true love a second time, then I'd just want you to be happy, my love."

"I know, but I pretty much became a mer to be with you. If I'm going to be a mer, then I'm going to be dedicated to you for my whole life."

Obi-Wan's eyes widened and started glittering right before he dropped the piece of fish he'd been enjoying, and instead reached up to pull Anakin down into a kiss without worry how both the fish and his lover fell into the water on top of him.

Anakin made a surprised noise as he fell into the water and his body changed shape from human to mer. He did indulge in the kiss, however, and changing forms didn't stop him from kissing the redhead more.

"It almost feels like you've already made your vows." Obi-Wan whispered.

Anakin chuckled. "Trust me, I've got much better vows in mind."

The mer practically purred as he snuggled his lover.

Anakin picked up the piece of fish Obi-Wan had dropped and offered it to him again. "Here, you need energy from more than just sleep after last night."

Obi-Wan flushed and nodded, taking the fish, "Thank you." He said before nibbling on the fish.

Shmi blinked at the two, "After last night?"

Anakin's face flushed and he grew a bit flustered. "Uh... W-we spent the night with each other. That's it..."

"But if that was it then why would he—oh." She said as she put the pieces together, "Oh, I should have known you'd start experimenting with more…adult activities. Well, at least we know you won't accidently make me a grandmother." She sighed.

Obi-Wan leaned over to Anakin, "She doesn't know male mers can carry, does she?"

"No she doesn't," Anakin muttered.

"Should probably let her know that we can give her grandpups when we feel ready to have pups." He whispered.

"R-right, ah... We could actually have kids," Anakin casually said. "Mers have a reproductive system that adapts to the situation."

"That's—unexpected but interesting. I guess I don't have to set aside my dreams of holding my grandbabies. But I do hope that before you two are ready, that you use protection!"

"Mers don't really have protection... They only have sex for the purpose of reproduction."

"Well, clearly you aren't doing it the mer way—or are you trying for a baby?"

"No, of course we're not trying for a baby! I'm nowhere near ready for that."

"Then use protection. I know you've been taught proper safe sex." She sighed, "I know how it can be, being swept up in shared passions, but protection is important to remember. Trust me… I love you with my whole heart, but you were a bit of a surprise to Sarben and I."

Anakin blinked. "I was? Never knew that... I always assumed that you and Dad were going to be married anyways, so you had me."

"We planned to have you after the wedding, but you came before. He and I just…got lazy on the protection."

"Well... If you hadn't gotten lazy that night, I might not be here..."

"Very true, and I have never regretted it. It was just hard. We weren't ready for my pregnancy or for a newborn, and then your father was taken away and I had you alone… Being ready and trying for a baby would help ease a lot of hardships. You can't always trust the pull-out method."

Anakin's face got a little bit redder. "Sure... But anyways we have a while before we think about having kids, and Obi is the first mer to know what it's like without the thought of reproduction."

"For what it's worth, I agree with your dear mother on this 'protection' thing. I really enjoyed having sex with you, but I'm not ready to carry a pup." Obi-Wan said.

"I agree as well. I'm sure there's some way of protection we can use underwater, we just have to find it."

"Do your research before you two…engage again." Shmi suggested, "Maybe ask around the hidden village. They may have a more magical solution if there isn't a human one. Just let me know if you plan to visit again. I have a nice pie I made and would like to send to your father's family." She winked.

Anakin smiled. "Will do. We want to find the underwater entrance to the village soon anyways."

"I didn't know there was one." She hummed.

"Ani," Obi-Wan grabbed his lover's attention, "How about you travel there tonight, spend some time with your family, ask around about protection solutions, give them that pie thing, and then follow the water back to the ocean to meet me for a bit?"

The blond nodded and turned back to his mother. "He suggested going to the village tonight, and then I can just take the water exit and go see him."

"If that is what you want to do. Just make sure to manage your time so you can get some sleep tonight."

"Don't worry, I'll find time for sleep," Anakin reassured his mother.

* * *

To be continued…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy MerMay!
> 
> Check out this amazing artwork numphet did inspired by our fic!  
> 
> 
> [Like and Reblog it on Tumblr!](https://hoping-for-kenobi.tumblr.com/post/184665862801/thanks-mermay-for-bringing-my-motivation-for-art)


	17. Chapter 17

Stretching his arms high over his head with a groan of satisfaction, Obi-Wan settled himself in comfortably upon a rocky ridge outside Anakin's castle. The rocks were far enough away where he didn't have to worry about guards spotting him as they patrolled the perimeter of the property, and no boats were out that night, so he felt comfortable enough to enjoy the moonlight.

Lying down, he looked up at the sky, watching the stars glitter in the darkness as he waited for Anakin to return, though he knew it could be a while. He didn't mind. It was a beautiful, warm night, and he soon found himself starting to drift off as the tide was high enough that waves would wash over the rocks just enough that he wouldn't dry out too much.

Soft, slow footsteps grew closer to the mer. They were light, like the person was intending to sneak up on Obi-Wan. It wasn't until they got almost too close that a voice spoke up.

"Isn't it rather dangerous for you to be out here like this?"

Obi-Wan's eyes flew open. The voice wasn't Anakin's and he had no intention of waiting to see if it was friendly. With a gasp, he rolled over and began to scramble and pull himself over the rocks to the water.

"No you don't!" Hands reached out to grab Obi-Wan's tail, gripping tight and pulling him back towards shore.

Obi-Wan let out a cry as he flailed, trying to break the man's grip on his tail. If only he could get to deeper water, then he'd have a chance at slipping free without so much struggling.

"You've escaped me too many times to count, but you're not getting away this time." The hands yanked harder, then they removed their grip altogether, magic replacing the force on the mer's tail to keep him in place. "I'm too old to be doing this …"

Obi-Wan twisted his body towards his attacker, fins flared as he puffed up to make himself bigger, hissing threateningly as his teeth seemed to transform, looking more like they belonged to a shark. His blue eyes glowing as he snarled, hoping to scare the man enough for him to make his escape.

A dark chuckle came from the man who was attacking Obi-Wan. "Foolish boy. Trying to scare me off won't work." A crushing force seemed to close around Obi-Wan and the man's hands started to glow red.

Hissing and snarling became panicked whimpers as his glimmer spell failed and he was overcome with the need to make himself smaller. His ear fins falling flat against his wet hair.

"Stop." He managed to whimper out, unable to move.

"Resisting got you nowhere." The man strengthened the force around Obi-Wan, then he waved one hand around until a magical net appeared around the mer's body.

"Don't do this…" Obi-Wan pleaded, unable to think of any other tricks to escape.

"I will do whatever I damn well please, animal, and I'm taking you away from everything you love." The net tightened and settled, rendering Obi-Wan unable to move at all, making it easier for the old man to pick him up and carry him towards the castle.

Obi-Wan let out another cry—a scream for help. He knew no mer would hear him, but maybe a good human would. Ankin's mother…brother…someone— _any_ one.

The man tugged Obi-Wan to the sand roughly and slapped him hard across the face. "Shut the fuck up! You've lost this battle."

"Not—not yet." He panted, his cheek stinging red and looked more like tiny dried scales than actual skin as humans knew. His skin had dried out too much, and so it was more easily damaged. "I haven't lost yet."

"You're captured. You've lost." With a grunt, the man picked up Obi-Wan and started carrying him back to the castle.

"But help may still come!" he insisted, screaming out for help once again.

The man rolled his eyes heavily. He flicked his wrist a certain way, creating a seal on Obi-Wan's mouth to prevent him from screaming. "No one would recognize your cries for help anyways. You sound like a fish to most people, but you talk too much, and I don't want to hear you until I dump you in your stupid tank."

"Mmmm!" his screams were muffled down to barely above a whisper. He was completely helpless, and his only hope was that someone had heard him before.

The trek from the beach to the castle felt long simply because the weight of the mer was taking a toll on the old man, but he continued on nonetheless. He had finally captured the mer he needed, and it took little effort in the grand scheme of things. Chuckling once more, the man approached the entrance to the castle he used for his private matters that took place in the dungeon.

Obi-Wan watched his surroundings as he was taken through  long corridors, seeing no other human other than the one carrying him. Then they stopped in front of a door and entered—it was a bedroom, much smaller than Anakin's was, but they didn't linger long before a trap door was opened and he was carried down into the darkness below.

He couldn't help but let out an uncertain whimper.

"Quit your whining, you'll be back in water soon enough." When the man got to the bottom of the stairs, he set Obi-Wan down with a grunt, then he lit up the room via magic. The seal on Obi-Wan's mouth was taken away but the net remained.

"Take me back to the sea— _now_." Obi-Wan snapped at him as soon as he was able.

"You're terrible at getting people to do things for you." Obi-Wan was picked back up and carried over to the tank of water that had been waiting for him for a very long time. "Here, you have water again."

The mer felt himself being tipped over the edge of the tank wall before he was plunged into the rather stale water. It was a small space. He already knew he didn't have anywhere near the proper amount of space to keep active and healthy, even while still bound in the magic net.

The old man released the magical net binding Obi-Wan. The net reappearing over the top of the tank, preventing the mer from escaping. "Get used to your new home, fish. You'll be staying here a long time," the man said as he turned away and exited the dungeon, leaving the lights on for once.

"No!" Obi-Wan beat his fists against the side of the tank.

Silence fell over all the other creatures as they turned their attentions to the newcomer. Several just stared, a few of the animals sniffed the air, and against the wall with a sad expression on his face, Sarben watched Obi-Wan's freedom be taken from him in a matter of minutes.

"I can't believe he actually did it," Sarben said.

That was when Obi-Wan realized he wasn't alone. His eyes shifted, looking at all the magical beings in chains until his gaze found a little elf girl curled up against a hum—no, not a human—another elf with clipped ears.

He floated to the top, finding just enough space for his head to be above the water before the magical net stopped him.

"What is this place?" he asked, knowing his voice would carry better to the others if he didn't speak in the water.

"The dungeon of the castle, or a part of it anyways. It's where Palpatine comes to work on his dark magic." Sarben sighed. "I'm sorry he finally caught you. I was hoping you would escape this fate we've been condemned with."

"Palpatine?" Obi-Wan blinked, realizing he hadn't actually gotten a good look at his attacker's face, "But—but I thought he was a good human!

"Oh you poor thing... He's so much worse. He's the scum of the earth."

"But he had helped us… Why would he help my intended life mate and I be together if he was just going to take me away from him?"

"To get access to your magic, no doubt." Sarben paused. "Wait, you're going to be Anakin's life mate?"

Obi-Wan was started slightly and his head dipped under for a second, "You know Anak—" he trailed off, tilting his head as he looked closer at the elf, "…You look a lot like Anakin…"

"Well I should hope so. I am his father after all."

"You're Sarban? Have you been here the whole time? Anakin and his mother have been searching something called 'camp records' to find you!"

"Camp records." Sarben scoffed. "Figures Palpatine would try to play it off as that. It's the best excuse as to why I disappeared rather than just telling my family I've been held here for... Is it 21 years now?"

"Anakin is at that age now, yes. He had his life day not too long ago. But you've been here all this time? Everyone here has been hidden here? No one's been able to escape? Not even that dragon?" he pointed.

Sarben shook his head sadly.  "Poor girl has been here longer than I have, and I've seen her life being drained out of her day after day to the point where she doesn't even make a sound anymore."

A saddened look crossed the mer's face, "There's no hope for any of us, is there?" he looked over at the obviously depressed dragon, wishing he could reach out to her. To any of those captured before him.

"Well, there is a little hope. Little Phinara here might be our key to getting out of here." He gestured to the small girl next to him.

Phinara gave a shy wave to the mer, "I gonna go find the mommy lady."

Obi-Wan smiled at her, "You are very brave."

"Yes she is. We all have much faith in her." Sarben smiled down at the girl.

"I hope it works…no one deserves this. It's humans like that Palpatine that caused us to go into hiding in the first place."

Sarben nodded. "We're all saddened to see that Palpatine has caught yet another victim, but with Phinara's help, I think we'll be put of here before the end of the month... I hope."

Phinara grabbed the chain that imprisoned her and held it up, pointing to one link, "this one is being weak more and more. When it break I can go get the mommy lady to help!"

"Very quietly you'll escape," Sarben reminded the girl.

"Like a mousie." She nodded, a finger to her lips.

Sarben smiled. "We'll get out of here. All of us."

 

* * *

 

Anakin looked up at the moon in the night sky and smiled. "I really wish I could stay longer," he said to his cousin, Aithlin. "It seems like I never spend enough time here when I come."

The two were standing next to the old ocean entrance to the elf village. Things were relatively quiet, unlike the last time Anakin visited when the moon festival was going on. Now there were only a few wandering adults during the night, the children all being in bed already and dreaming away about what most children dreamt about.

"You could always leave the human city behind and move here. All magical creatures looking for safety are welcome here—especially family." Aithlin grinned, patting him on the back.

"I know, but I think I'll stay at my castle a little longer. Have better access to the people's opinions and hopefully change them to be in our favor."

"Forgive me for not holding my breath on that." He sighed.

"I know it's a lot of work, but someone has to start the process, and if no one else will, then I'll step up to the plate."

"Yeah, but when we still have our little ones taken from us because they wandered a little too far… when we have our adults taken from us because their clipped ears wasn't enough to make them blend in with humans…" he shook his head, "If we can get our missing back, then I'll hope for change."

Anakin nodded. "Setting things right has to start somewhere."

Aithlin nodded, "Well, swim safe down there. We have n idea if the tunnel has collapsed or whatever over the past couple hundred years since the mers and other magical sea races came up for a visit.

Anakin nodded and moved closer to the water, looking down with a sigh. "I'll come back soon, and maybe I'll have news on the missing members of our family."

"I hope so." He nodded, watching Anakin get closer to the water, about to jump in.

"WAIT!" a voice called out, the dryad his mother had spoken to on his first visit waving as she hurried over.

Anakin turned to look at the dryad and smiled. "Ahsoka, what's up?"

"My mom said you had come for a visit, and as I'm not working I thought we could hang out a little. I'm curious about the human city." She reached them and sat down, crossing her legs so that she was no longer towering over the two elves.

Anakin sat down next to Ahsoka with a smile. "I guess I can stay a little while longer. Obi-Wan knows I'll eventually be around to see him."

"Who's Obi-Wan?" Ahsoka asked.

"He's a mer and my future life mate. He's the most amazing man I've ever met."

"Oh! I have heard rumors that mers are back in the world. That's amazing!"

"They've always been around but humans drove them into hiding, so they were extinct as far as the rest of the world was concerned. But it's pretty exciting to have a mer for a significant other."

"Mers cut themselves off from all land races, not just humans. They may have existed, but it wasn't in our world, but only deep down where we can't exist." Ahsoka shrugged.

"At least they've been safe since their existence was rediscovered." Anakin sighed, knowing he was partly to blame for mers being known to exist.

"So the humans haven't attacked them or anything?"

"Well a lot have tried to go catch one by throwing out nets, but nothing has happened yet. Hopefully nothing will happen."

"Oh, so they are trying." She sighed, "I had hoped we could start exploring the world a little more and not have to worry."

"No, unfortunately humans still want to capture magical species."

"That sucks." She groaned, "Mom will never let me go exploring…"

"Well, if things ever get safer, I'd be more than willing to go with you and maybe explore the forest a bit."

"Great, more trees. I want to see the human city. It glows so brightly at night."

"It does... Maybe I can take you to the edge safely. Or I could take you to the castle."

"Mom wouldn't allow it… I'm _too young_. But in human years I'm a hundred and forty! Surely that's adult enough!"

"You're still only fourteen in dryad years." Aithlin pointed out.

"Oh don't you go taking Mom's side in this." She pouted.

Anakin chuckled. "Hey, you seem old enough to handle yourself in a sticky situation. A little risk in adventure won't hurt anyone, as long as we know what we're doing."

"Oh I like this Skyguy." She grinned.

"Hey! Don't go giving away my nickname, Snips!"

"Too late!" she laughed.

"Skyguy? Is that what you guys call me?"

"Our family name is Skywalker. Snips here likes to have fun with elfin last names." Anakin's cousin shrugged.

"I like it. I don't think I've had any other nickname besides Ani."

"Well, you're a Skyguy now." She ruffled his hair with a smile.

Anakin laughed, his hair a mess after Ahsoka removed her hand. "And what was the name Ai gave you? Snips? I think I like that."

"Yeah, he thinks I'm snippy or something."

"You are."

Ahsoka stuck her tongue out.

"Ah, yes I see it." Anakin chuckled, preparing for another hand aiming to ruffle his hair again.

"Don't you start, too!" she said, giving him a gentle push, though the fact that she was so much larger than him meant that he still fell over onto his side in the grass.

Anakin laughed as he raised his hands up in defense. "Come on, Snips, don't be mean."

"I'm not mean! You elves are just tiny!"

"I'm not tiny! I'm six feet tall, maybe a little more."

"Six feet is tiny." She insisted.

"Don't take it too hard. Dryads get almost as tall as the trees." Aithlin said.

"That's so tall..." Anakin shook his head as he sat back up. "Elves are usually smaller anyways, so I guess I should be happy I reach six feet."

"Six feet is pretty average for shorter elves, but half elves tend to have a harder time getting there due to their human genes."

"At least you aren't as tiny as dwarves. Though they are very strong." Ahsoka said.

"Wait, so elves are naturally taller? Man, all the history books are wrong then." Anakin shrugged.

"Haven't you noticed how many of the elfin men in town are like, seven feet tall?" Aithlin asked.

"To be fair, I wasn't here for long last time, and there's fewer people around tonight."

"Man, if our grandfather was still around you'd be putting a chink in your neck looking up at him." He laughed, "Grandmother is human and was always complaining that she'd be mistaken for his young daughter rather than his wife. Then all her kids got taller than her, too."

"I want to get the whole family back together," Anakin said. "I'm gonna find my dad and the little girl and bring them back home."

"Good luck…those camps…they are horrible places. We have an old troll in town who somehow managed to escape one of those camps years ago. The stories he tells…" Ahsoka shook her head.

"You have someone who's escaped?" Anakin suddenly leaned forward, shifting to his knees. "Does he like to talk to people?"

"Sure, he's a bit crazy, though. Giggles a lot."

"But he's also almost nine hundred years old. He likes messing with people."

"Nine hundred? Jeez that's old..."

"Yeah, but he's harmless as long as you watch out for his walking stick. He likes to smack people's knees with it." Ahsoka laughed.

Anakin smiled. "I want to talk to him for sure. Maybe not tonight though. I do still have to go see Obi-Wan."

"Come here in the morning to early afternoon some time. The old man goes to bed very early." His cousin suggested.

"Sounds like I'll be making a day trip here some time then."

"I suggest coming by water—and bringing your watery husband with you so the family can meet him and welcome him." Aithlin said.

"He's not my husband yet... but I will bring him, don't worry."

"Nah, he is. The Skywalker family always counts engagements as when you switch over from dating titles to marriage titles. Just like your mom is still considered Uncle Sarben's wife, even if they never got the chance to marry before he was taken."

"I see. Well...I can't wait for when I know he's really my husband. I can't believe we're already at that point in our relationship."

"How long have you been together?" Ahsoka asked, hugging her knees to her chest and resting her chin atop it.

"A few months? Not long at all."

"Hmm, did you propose, or did he?" Aithlin asked.

"He did. Well... kinda."

"Mers may have a short courting period, then. To him, I'm sure it's a normal length of time before taking this next big step in your relationship."

"I know. We've talked about it. At least we both think we're ready for this next step." Anakin shifted his weight backwards onto his hands behind him.

"Being ready is the important part." Ahsoka said.

Anakin nodded. He looked back up at the moon, noting its different position compared to the last time he looked, and so he stood up and brushed off himself. "Well, I know we didn't talk too long, Snips, but I really need to go and meet Obi-Wan before dawn comes."

"Oh! Don't let me keep you from a romantic swim under the stars!" she said, shooing him with her hands.

Anakin smiled. "It was nice talking to you two again. I'll be back soon, I promise." With that, the prince stepped back from the water, then took a running start and dove into the small pool that lead out to the ocean. He surfaced briefly, waving at Ahsoka and Aithlin, fully transformed to his mer form, and he dove once more, leaving behind the village to find his future husband.

The tunnel that lead out of the village twisted and turned quite a bit, but it was an effective way of keeping unwanted guests out. Anakin was having a blast turning his body with the curves of the tunnel. He even managed to laugh at a set of turns that made him spiral several times. When the water turned from fresh to salt, he smiled. The ocean water felt slightly warmer, causing him to close his eyes and slow for a few seconds to enjoy the warmth.

The tunnel's exit was in the side of a drop off, tucked away in the rocks and covered by just enough plants to make it look like there was only solid rock behind them. A few fish scurried away when Anakin left the tunnel. The open ocean was a bit colder than what was in the tunnel, but the blond still felt the freedom he had always loved when swimming in the ocean.

Anakin swam as fast as he could to the shore where Obi-Wan was supposedly waiting for him. When he arrived, he called out the mer's name, and when no reply came, Anakin popped his head out of the water and looked around. Obi-Wan was nowhere in sight. The blond thought it a bit odd, but he shrugged and headed off to the marshbloom cave, hoping Obi-Wan had decided to wait for him there. The cave produced similar results of Obi-Wan's whereabouts, and something nagged in the back of Anakin's mind that something bad had happened. He wasn't about to jump to conclusions though, so off he went again, this time heading to the old mer city, and when nothing was found there but their first nest together, he went to the hidden city, his tail taking him as fast as he could.

He didn't quite remember where things were in the city, but his mind, slightly beginning to panic, remembered certain landmarks that led him back to Obi-Wan's home he shared with his father. Anakin knocked on the door, his heart pounding in his chest, though he tried to hide it and keep a calm attitude towards the situation.

The giant clam shell that served as the door swung open and Qui-Gon greeted him with a smile, "Anakin! Good to see you again. Come on in. I was just working on making some pearl jewelry for you and Obi-Wan to wear during your vows. I can teach you how if you'd like—is Obi running behind?"

"I was going to ask if you had seen him recently," Anakin said, a sense of dread rising up inside him.

The mer frowned, "No, he left hours ago to go meet with you. He hasn't been with you?"

"No, I was at the elf village so I could find the water entrance and I was going to meet him at the shore…"

"Show me." Qui-Gon stated, his good mood firmly changed to worry for his youngest son.

"T-the shore or the village?" Anakin backed up a bit.

"Where my son was supposed to meet you."

Anakin nodded quickly and turned all in one movement, and then he was swimming as fast as his tail could take him. That feeling of dread now took over his emotions, his head swimming with ideas of what could have happened to Obi-Wan, most of those ideas being the worst case scenario.

Qui-Gon followed closely, trying not to be annoyed at the fact that Anakin wasn't as fast a swimmer as he was, seeing as he wasn't a natural mer and was doing his best. His tail was still adjusting.

He just hoped that they would find his son.

* * *

To be continued…


	18. Chapter 18

Anakin nearly jumped onto the beach when he and Qui-Gon arrived at the shore. He was out of the water and on dry land quicker than he usually was. He searched the sand desperately for something he wasn't sure he was looking for. Signs of a struggle maybe, but the water would most likely have washed away any evidence of what may have happened.

Qui-Gon also began searching for any sign of his son, looking in the waters and upon the rocky ridge that jutted out from the sandy shore that looked like it was a comfortable place for a mer to sun themselves—or just watch the stars.

Anakin let out a frustrated noise, clearly finding no evidence. "Damn it, where did he go?"

"I can…sense he was here, but it's faint—might not even have been tonight…" Qui-Gon muttered, touching the rocks that Obi-Wan had, in fact, been laying on.

"He was here, I know he was. He had been waiting for me to get back from the village."

Qui-Gon sank a little, resting his forehead against a rock, "Obi…what happened? Where are you?"

Anakin climbed onto the rocks and sat down, pulling his legs up to his chest as he sighed. "I shouldn't have gone to the village…"

"You're going off someplace didn't cause this, Anakin. Don't blame yourself."

"But I told him to wait for me here! I told him I wouldn't be long, and then I took longer than I intended. If I had left when I originally planned to, he might still be here!"

"Anakin." Qui-Gon pulled himself up onto the sand and over to the prince, placing both large hands on his shoulders, "Whatever happened, it's not your fault."

Anakin looked at Qui-Gon, and for a moment he felt like the man was somewhat of a father to him. In a sense he was, but in the moment of high stress, Anakin felt an overwhelming need to hug the old mer, and he did just that, throwing  his arms around Qui-Gon and holding tight to the feeling of being comforted by a father.

Qui-Gon held him close, "I'm worried about him, too." He muttered, "And I'll be reporting his disappearance so we can organize a proper search and investigation. I want my son back just as much as you want your intended life mate back. We'll find out what happened."

Anakin hugged Qui-Gon even harder, feeling tears just start to form in his eyes, but he held back from letting them go. "I'm scared I won't see him again," he eventually said.

"I—I am as well…" he admitted, "That's my little boy…"

"I feel like I'm being selfish for thinking I won't get to see him again when you're his dad and I'm just his future life mate." Anakin sighed as he pulled back and looked out to the ocean.

"Life mates are just as important as family, son. They are family…we're in this together. We'll find him—or what happened to him."

"I hope so." Anakin sighed. "I can't stand to lose another family member to humans who are selfish and just want their magic."

"It may not have been humans…mers are not the top of the food chain in the ocean, Anakin. There are dangers in the depths that we can't fight or scare off…only run from. It's how I—I lost my life mate…" he shook his head, clenching his fist, "…I don't know which is worse…"

"Obi told me... Can I see your mark?"

"My mark?" he asked.

"Your life mate mark. Obi said life mates gain a mark through some magical process."

"Oh, that." Qui-Gon opened his hand, showing off the elegant mark that looked like it was tattooed with black ink. "It's black because my other half was lost, but when she was alive, my mark shimmered a beautiful green color."

Anakin brought Qui-Gon's hand closer to his face to look at the mark in more detail. "Did hers look identical to yours?"

"Yes, only hers shimmered yellow against her dark skin—it was lovely to look at." He gave a small, reminiscent smile.

Anakin smiled. "I wonder what colors the marks will be for Obi-Wan and I."

"Hard to tell beforehand, but the colors will compliment each other, whatever they are."

"Well... The only way we're going to get them is if we find out what happened to Obi-Wan."

"Yes…" Qui-Gon pulled back and sighed, "I don't know where to start…"

"Maybe the castle's security cameras picked up something... I can go inside and look."

"Cameras? What kind of creatures are those?"

"They're not creatures. It's technology that we use to record things to see if anyone is spying on us or not."

"I have no idea what you just said, but if it helps us find my boy…"

"It'll help, I'm sure… Do you want to come on land or stay here while I go look?"

"Mers are fast in the water, not on land." He said. "I'd slow you down considerably."

Anakin shrugged. "I managed to carry Obi-Wan up to my bathroom once. But I'll leave you here while I go look at the videos." He stood up and jumped off the rock, running for the castle once he hit the sand.

"Bathroom?" Qui-Gon frowned. Humans had a lot of mysterious things. Sighing, he shook his head and got back to searching for a sign that his son had been there.

Anakin ran as fast as he could, hoping to find someone who would help him look through the footage and find out what happened. Maybe Palpatine would be around. He always seemed to be.

"Anakin? I thought you were going to be with your boyfriend tonight." Owen said when he walked up behind his younger step brother, lipstick smeared under his jaw line which exposed that he had been out with his girlfriend.

"Owen, thank god, come with me." Anakin grabbed Owen's wrist and started pulling him towards the security control room. "Something happened to Obi-Wan. He's missing and we can't find him anywhere."

"What? Did you check in the water?"

"Of course I checked there! He's not here!"

"I'm confused, where else would a merman be? It's not like he can wander down the road to Dex's Diner or something."

"I don't know man, I'm scared he's somewhere where he could get hurt and I'm really not okay!"

"Calm down, I'll help where I can but I'm kinda lost here."

"Obi was going to meet me on the beach, and I knew he was there waiting for me, but when I got there he was missing, so I searched the cave where we met, then the old mer city, then the hidden one and he wasn't in any of those places, so I looked for his dad and Obi wasn't there either. His dad and I came back to the shore to look for clues for what happened. We found nothing, so now I need to look at the security cameras to find out what happened."

"If whatever happened was even on our private beach."

"The spot we agreed to meet was. I hope the cameras caught something..."

"We can take a look. Do you think someone sped in on a boat and nabbed him or something? We could look online to see if anything's exploding on social media."

"I don't know. Maybe? I would be surprised, considering how many people have been throwing in nets to catch mers recently." Anakin sighed heavily.

"That's exactly why. Imagine someone actually getting their hands on a mermaid during this mermaid craze that's been happening. Anyone who'd actually catch a mermaid wouldn't exactly keep quiet about it and would either post pics, vids, or even just try to make a pretty penny on the black market."

"Then we should definitely check the internet. Could you do that?"

"…You don't have your phone on you, do you?" he chuckled, digging into his pocket to pull his out. "Mine's almost dead, I'll need to plug in once we get to the monitor room."

"I wouldn't have my phone on me if I knew I was going to be swimming." Anakin shook his head as they arrived to the door of the security room.

"Fair enough—you should get a waterproof phone considering you half live in the water nowadays it seems." Owen opened the door to the security office and waved at the guards working. "Hey, we just need to check the recordings for the beach area."

"Specifically around an hour ago," Anakin added as he entered the room.

The head security man turned his head to look back at the princes. "Yeah sure. Anything particular I should be looking for?"

"A merman," the blond responded bluntly.

"A… merman, your highness?"

"Yes, hurry! That merman could be in serious danger."

"I suggest saving your questions for later, Tarkin. Anakin's going to go crazy if he doesn't find out if the cameras caught anything, soon." Owen said, plugging his phone into a charger and reclining in one of the desk chairs as he brought up his mobile browser.

"Alright," the old man said as he turned back to the screens. He brought up a separate screen that had recordings of the beach as well as other views around the castle.

Anakin looked over his shoulder in anticipation, hoping that there was something that could be of use.

"Here, take my seat, Highness. It's a little more comfortable." The second guard said, standing up and walking over to the wall of live monitors to keep an eye on things.

"Thanks," Anakin muttered as he took a seat, watching the footage intensely until he caught the moment Obi-Wan was seated on the rocks. "There," he suddenly shouted out, pointing at the screen. "That's him."

"Okay… footage is rolling now," Tarkin said as he punched a few buttons on the control panel.

The screen silently showed the mer as he settled on the rocks, ran his fingers through his hair as he pulled it back and fastened it out of his face, likely with some of his pearl hair accessories, and then lay down, tail catching the moonlight every so often when it moved. And then—nothing. No mer upon the rocks, just the gentle waves of a calm night.

Anakin leaned forward. "What? What happened to the footage? He was there and suddenly not!"

"I don't know… want me to replay it?" Tarkin asked.

"There's a merman out on the beach now splashing about near the rocky ledge." The second guard said.

"I know who that one is, and it's not the one that was here earlier," Anakin said. "Replay the footage."

Tarkin did so, the same footage playing back as before. Obi-Wan was there—and then he wasn't.

Anakin shook his head. "The cameras just cut out… there's no footage."

"I wonder if the camera out there needs maintenance… It's not one we really pay much attention to compared to the others around the property. The beach-side cameras we tend to watch is the ones more focused on the land rather than the water."

"Make sure that camera gets fixed, ASAP, Chief. That mer's life is in danger now because of a faulty camera." Anakin's tone was perhaps the most commanding he had ever sounded, like he was finally taking to his role as the crowned prince. He turned to the second guard. "Pull up other views of the beach. I want to know if someone came by on a boat of trespassed on our beach to get to that mer."

"You do realize our job is to ensure there is no threat to the castle and those inside—not some random magical creature who decided to moon bathe on some rocks, sir." Tarkin said, thinly masking his annoyance as he brought up the other views which only seemed to show no activity whatsoever.

"Do you want to lose your job, Chief?" Anakin asked aggressively. "Your job right now is to obey my orders, and if you defy, you will be removed from castle grounds. Do you understand me?"

"You do not have the authority to exterminate my job yet, sir. And I am showing you exactly what you asked. I suggest not acting childish because my job isn't to watch the beach for mermaid activity."

"Your job is to monitor the area, and yet you acted like you hadn't seen a mer sitting on the rocks earlier. Were you not watching, or was the stick so far up your ass that you couldn't see when he arrived?"

"I was tending to more important matters than to ogle at some over-sexualized half fish person. There were troublemakers at the front gate earlier."

Anakin sighed. "I'm wasting my time here. Get that camera fixed and keep your eyes open for everything." He turned and walked out of the room with a huff.

"Haven't found anything online either." Owen said, "So maybe he swam off for some reason?"

"I don't know," Anakin replied. "I just have a bad feeling…"

"I'm not saying it's what happened, just that it's possible. He could have seen something and swam after it—or away from it."

"But he would have come back. He hasn't come back yet, and that's what has me worried."

"If he's able to, that is." Owen sighed and stopped, pulling his step-brother to a stop as well, "Look, I want to be positive for you on this, but so many things could have happened. Without proper footage we can't know what happened at all unless your boyfriend is found."

"We literally have no leads…" Anakin sighed and shook his head.

"You know he was in fact there waiting for you. That's more than nothing."

"Yeah… but he wouldn't have given up. If he was nearby when I came to the beach, he would have come out of hiding."

"Assuming he was hiding nearby. He could be running from a shark for all we know."

"Maybe I'm overreacting, yeah, but I'm worried. I don't want to lose him like I lost Dad."

"Your real dad? I've never heard you or your mother mention him other than that one time… elf, right?"

"It's because he disappeared before I was born…" Anakin leaned against the wall and slid down until he was sitting on the floor.

"You know what happened?"

"We've always assumed he was captured and taken to a camp."

"A magical camp? Can't you just go visit?"

"You would think because we're royalty, but apparently the guards would easily find out that I'm magical and would take me in and keep me there until I die."

"I don't understand… I thought those camps were just like, towns set aside for magical folk where they can live peaceful, free lives away from  any lingering fears of humans… They can leave, right?"

"No, Owen, they're containment camps. No one gets out once they go in."

"That's…not what the public thinks is true…they are forced to be there? They don't choose it? That's—frankly, that's horrible."

Anakin nodded. "That's why I'm concerned for Obi-Wan now, because if he was found by someone who works in this camps, it's all over."

"Could those camps even have a place for mers?"

"I have no idea. If they don't, he'll have the worst time ever. He'd dehydrate within hours."

"And that's bad, I'm guessing?"

"It's lethal."

"Damn…do you know how long they can last?"

"If they're lucky? Maybe a couple days."

"Okay. Time is short, but that does give us some time to try and find if he was taken to a camp."

"Are you saying we should go to the camp? Like right now?"

"No, of course not—I need time to get a proper raid group together. Let me make some calls."

Anakin nodded and stood back up, dusting himself off. "I need to get some sleep, or try to anyways. Make your calls, and when we have our party together, we'll go to the camps." He smiled. "And hey, we can look like actual princes tomorrow instead of just wearing t-shirts and jeans or shorts. Have our crowns and our best outfits so people know we mean business."

"I was more thinking of dressing in black leather for intimidation."

"With the crowns?" Anakin looked hopeful.

"If we break out the royal shit we will be recognized and will have to face consequences. You sure you want to do that?"

"The world already knows that mers exist. And besides, who doesn't know our faces? We'll be recognized anyways, won't we?"

"Going in with masks we become faceless as we free those held captive. Going in with crowns will mean we'll need to make sure we have proof that the camp is an inhumane prison, and statements will have to be made. It will really kickstart controversy about camps, the magical people within those camps, freedom and protection."

"Wait, are you wanting to break in?"

"I mean, why should all those people stay locked up when their only crime is just—not being human?"

"So we're breaking in and freeing all the people being held there."

"We'll already be looking for your fishboy and maybe even your dad, so why not let them all go free if that is what they wish?"

"I want to free them all. They don't deserve to be in those camps." Anakin nodded. "I hope we find who we're looking for."

"So, do you want this to be secret—or a political statement?"

"Political statement." Shmi suddenly interrupted them, stepping out from around a corner and looking at the two grown boys.

"Mom," Anakin jumped as his mother spoke. "You… how much did you hear?"

"Enough to know that my future son-in-law is missing suddenly. Just as Sarben had disappeared."

Anakin nodded. "I should have been with him. He wouldn't be gone if I had taken him with me or just waited to go to the village another day."

"Am I to blame for your father's disappearance? I wasn't with him when he was found." She countered, knowing how he'd deny her fault in such a thing. "Do not blame yourself. You can't be with him all the time, Ani."

The prince went silent at that and moved closer to his mother so he could hug her. "I don't want him to end up like Dad and be gone my whole life."

"I know—and I'll help you. I'm tired of waiting to convince the sitting government officials. Action is needed, and I'll help you boys do this—correctly."

"Are you coming with us then?"

"I will handle the legal side of things." She said.

Anakin nodded. "So Owen and I can focus on getting everyone out."

"And gather any volunteers who wish to speak out publicly as to how life is in the camps. I know your father would, but there is no guarantee he's at the closest one to here at this point."

"We'll find him, even if we have to search every last camp."

"Once the truth is out there we could have an easier time taking all the camps down in our country." Shmi said.

"They all should be shut down. We have to show everyone what's really going on and why it needs to be stopped."

"That's precisely the goal, Ani, dear."

Anakin nodded, then he yawned. "We can start things in the morning. I just hope... I hope Obi will be okay until we find him."

"We'll do all that we can, sweetie."

"I know. But we'll all work better with proper sleep. We need to be ready for what lies ahead."

Shmi smiled and touched his cheek before walking away again.

"You should tell that other mermaid out there the plan." Owen said.

"Oh jeez, I forgot about him." Anakin sighed and rubbed his face. "Right, I'll go tell him and then I'm going to bed."

"Want me to go with you or can I go to bed?"

"I can handle this alone. You go get sleep."

"It is very late." Owen nodded, "Don't stay out too much longer."

"I won't. I'll be in bed right after I tell the other mer what's happening." Anakin jogged off to go back outside and update Qui-Gon on the situation.

* * *

To be continued…


	19. Chapter 19

Obi-Wan frowned as he drifted up and down along the glass encaging him, tapping and knocking on it as he examined it.

"This thing doesn't feel like magic, but it's so unfamiliar to me. Like a magical barrier keeping even the water contained…" he muttered to himself.

"It's a glass tank," Sarben informed the mer. "There's nothing magical about it. It's the same thing windows are made of."

"Mer windows are just holes in the walls with a flap on the inside to close for privacy. We don't have this…glass stuff in them." The mer pulled back and looked at the glass as he considered the fact it wasn't magic. "If this isn't magic, I should be able to break it and be free, but then I wouldn't be in water and I'll be slow moving… But I would be able to grab some things that may help free others…"

"Don't risk it, Obi-Wan. I don't need you dying when you have my son waiting for you outside of this dungeon. You need to stay alive."

"I can spend some time outside water." Obi-Wan argued, "I won't dry out right away, and if I can get more of you free, someone can help me back to the ocean or this thing Anakin has in his room he calls a 'bathtub' which has water in it."

"Palpatine will let you dry out if he finds you escaped from your tank. I've seen it before, I've seen too many die because they've escaped when he was around. I will not allow you to risk this." Sarben looked down at the elf girl. "If you can wait just a little longer… we'll have this girl out of here and running to find Shmi and get us help. And don't argue against me on this young man, because she's smaller and can hide easier. Those before her were not so lucky to have size on their side."

"She's just a pup…it's such a big job and if I can help…"

"Puppy? I like puppies!" the girl said suddenly.

Sarben chuckled. "No, no puppies here. He called you a pup. It's what mers call their young."

"Fishy puppies?" she asked.

"Those would be sharks if I had to take a guess."

"Pointy teef."

"Sharks are one of the animals we sometimes keep as pets, yes." Obi-Wan nodded, "And their young are also called pups."

"Most marine young are called pups if I remember correctly. Must be a water thing." Sarben shrugged as he looked back at Obi-Wan.

"And fry is also common." Obi-Wan said.

"Those are potatoes." The little girl giggled.

"I assure you I have never heard of a potato." The mer responded.

"Potatoes are a food, and they're fantastic in soups and stews." Sarben sighed. "I'm sure Anakin will be willing to share some human foods with you when we all get out of here."

"He already has shared some. I am particularly fond of the…I think he called them browns?"

"Browns? You mean brownies? Small dark squares?"

"Yes! That sounds like the right word I couldn't quite remember. They look strange but taste so nice."

"Brownies are quite nice. I haven't had one in years…"

"Yeah…I don't suppose that that man tends to give out nice food…"

"You'll be lucky if you get fish food. We maybe get scraps of bread and bland pieces of something that's supposed to be meat."

"But fish are food?"

"No, you wouldn't get fish for food. You'd get the food that humans give pet fish. Little flakes or pellets. I'd be eating these chains if he brought you actual fish to eat."

"…Flakes? Flakes of what?" Obi-Wan scrunched his nose with a disgusted look while trying to imagine just how many flakes it'd take to make even a small meal.

"I don't know. Maybe processed seaweed, but it's not healthy, at least it wouldn't be for mers."

"Seaweed? We use it in our food, but a meal it is not. I can't get a proper amount of protein or energy from it. Not to mention too much of it can cause….digestive issues, and this bit of water is far from large enough to be okay with the result of that!"

Sarben shook his head. "I hope for your sake he brings actual fish."

"I hope he grows a heart over night and lets us all go free." Obi-Wan grumbled.

"Unfortunately, that's the least likely thing to happen."

"We can dream still…" he sighed before punching the glass once more and curling up in the bottom of the tank. "…Dad's probably worried sick by now…"

"What's your father like?"

"Stubborn, protective, has this thing for picking up pathetic life forms to add to his family. He adopted two of his three sons, and I'm one of those adopted pathetic life forms."

Sarben chuckled lightly. "Sounds like a good father. I hope he's holding up with you being gone."

"He might do something stupid…and he may contact my brothers to help him do something stupid. Xanatos would do it—Feemor would try to be a voice f reason, but…end up being dragged along anyway."

"But you still love your father, right?"

"Of course I love him. He took me in when my parents died, and he is my dad. I just also know how he can act in stressful situations."

"So you're worried he might get himself hurt while you're missing, or worse."

Obi-Wan nodded, "One time when I was still a pup, Xanatos was out with some friends doing stupid teenager crap and there was a cave-in that trapped them. When he didn't come home that night Dad handed me to one of his friends to watch me and he went out in search. Only he chose to search a very dangerous part of the depths where the sea monsters live. He was convinced Xan had gone there for some reason…"

Sarben tilted his head. "What kinds of sea monsters?"

"Gigantic ones that will gobble fully grown mers up as a light snack. Monsters left over from prehistoric days before civilization and magic."

"Wow, I never would have guessed prehistoric species would still exist."

"The ocean runs deeper than even mers have explored. In hiding from humans, we currently live as far down as we can safely go with the water pressure, but our natural in-sea elevation is much closer to the surface.  We can go deeper for short periods of time, but it can crush us if we go too deep too long. Not to mention there's monsters in those waters."

"So you're not equipped for diving very deep? I would have thought you would be, considering your kind is still hiding from the humans."

"We can still go much deeper than humans can which helps us hide. The depths also provide a natural protection against tracking spells."

Sarben smiled. "So that's why his tracking spell didn't work. Thank the gods… But if the spell didn't work, then how did Palpatine catch you?"

"I was waiting near the shore for Anakin…he was going to go to his fath—well, I guess I should just call it your home village to visit family and ask about some sort of….protection that can be used in the water since the human's version can't. Mer's don't really worry about it as we only…do that kind of thing when we want pups, but since Anakin's human we wanted to…explore." Obi-Wan admitted awkwardly before shaking himself back onto topic. "He was going to meet me when he got back through the hidden water entrance that even us mers have forgotten existed. Then he was going to show it to me so I could later go with him to meet his family…"

"And Palpatine just snuck right up and captured you." Sarben shook his head. "Despicable man, he is. I wish the truth would get out sooner about him."

Obi-Wan nodded, "If I had known I—I got too comfortable. After meeting Palpatine as a 'friend' and meeting Ani's mom…I felt safe as long as I was near the castle's beach rather than the public ones that have so many humans around…"

"Palpatine still prowls around like the predator he is and takes advantage of any magical creature he can get his hands on. He needs to be stopped, but I've been unable to. Every time I gain the strength I need to take him down, he just chops off another part of my hair and leaves me drained of magic and energy."

"Uses it for his own needs too, I expect?" Obi-Wan frowned, looking down at his tail. "…And its only a matter of time before he starts ripping my scales off…"

"He had a few of your scales from when you were discovered. He used them to make my son a shape shifting potion. I'm glad to see it worked, but I was very worried for both him and yourself."

"Wait, so he… I guess it makes sense as it made Anakin gain a mer form, but…"

"Palpatine knew Anakin was close to a mer, so he used the tracking spell on my son once he was able to turn into a mer to track you down."

"How much did he see?" Obi-Wan asked nervously.

"Not much. The spell broke when you got deeper I assume. He only managed to catch you two swimming."

"Oh thank the moon goddess!" Obi-Wan sighed.

Sarben chuckled. "Worried he might have seen you two sharing your love?"

Obi-Wan's cheeks burned a bright red as he gave a timid nod.

And then he remembered and his eyes widened. Anakin had pulled out, but they hadn't had protection at all. There was a slight chance that they could have had a successful mating and he just couldn't birth pups while within Palpatine's grasp!

The older half-elf tilted his head. "Are you okay?"

"…What if I'm carrying pups?" he whispered hoarsely.

"What? Did you two just go ahead and not think about trying to prevent that even without protection?"

"We tried but there's a chance it didn't work and we…there's a chance."

Sarben sighed. "Well, since mers don't seem to have things to prevent pregnancies, I assume there wouldn't be a pill to take. Maybe we can figure something out in the future when we get out of here." He shook his head and looked up at Obi-Wan. "Don't worry about it for now. It will be a while before you'll know for sure, if mer pregnancies last as long as humans and elves."

"I don't mind pups earlier than planned, but not here where that human will only hurt them!"

"I agree. They wouldn't be safe here. If Palpatine got his hands on them…" Sarben thought for a minute. "I have the possibility of having half-mer grandkids," he realized.

"Yes, there is that possibility." Obi-Wan smiled, "But hopefully not until after we escape this place."

"Of course. Priority one is getting out of here alive."

"How's the escape attempt coming?"

"I want to eat cookies when I get out!" the little girl said.

"You can have all the cookies you want, Phinara." Sarben laughed and smiled at the girl. "A few more days time is all we have, I suspect, before I lose my strength again to a haircut."

"Cookies and my mommy's hugs and kisses." She sighed.

"You will get plenty of both, I promise." Sarben looked back at Obi-Wan. "I may need your help, actually. Palpatine can't suspect a thing. If he ever comes down here with a knife or scissors, you need to distract him so he doesn't have the chance to cut my hair. Hopefully that will give me a little more time for my strength to build up so I can free Phinara and let her go find Shmi and her family. Hopefully she will let everyone know at the village what's going on and where we're at."

"I'll do what I can, but I'm not sure how much I can do. Nothing to throw at him, even if this glass thing wasn't separating me from everyone." The mer agreed.

"We'll figure out something. I just hope we actually get Phinara out of here without getting caught by Palpatine."

"Will you come with me to find my mommy?" she asked Sarben.

"I wish I could, Sweetie, but you have to go find her without me. The lady who lives here in the castle can take you to her, I'm sure of it."

"But I want to show Mommy da nice man who protects me!"

"I know you do. You can show her to me when I can return to the village."

"How many times must I tell you not to make promises you will never keep?" Palpatine's voice drifted down the stairs ahead of him.

"As many times as you felt the need to cut my hair, but just like my strength always comes back, my promises will always be kept, and nothing can stop that." Sarben glared once Palpatine could be seen on the stairs.

"Do shut your mouth. You're no longer my favorite pet. You won't get away with nearly as much as you're used to."

"I doubt that very highly." Sarben rolled his eyes.

"Try me." Palpatine growled, moving over to the tank and pressing a hand to the glass as he gazed at his mer.

"You don't want me to," Sarben snapped back.

"I have the girl, I don't need you. I won't hesitate to end your pathetic existence."

"You won't lay a finger on her, you filthy rat."

"She's just a pup! Let her go home to her parents!" Obi-Wan said, banging on the glass.

"Silence, fish," Palpatine said with a raised voice. "Don't start taking advice from that worthless excuse of a half-elf."

"I have a new person on my side, Palpatine," Sarben threatened. "It's just one more against you. One day it will be too much for you to handle. He pulled forward on his chains, the wall straining. "And that day is coming soon."

"I am not a fish, you deformed eel!" Obi-Wan hissed.

"Watch your tongue, or you'll lose it." Palpatine moved away from the glass and pulled out a container of what was indeed fish food, as Sarben had expected.

"You won't take my tongue. You want my magic, the song of a mer contains magic." Obi-Wan said smugly. "I'm sure you'll find a way you could use it to your advantage, oh wise human sorcerer."

"Time to trim elf hair and figure out a way to punish the damn fish…" the old man grumbled as he moved to the ladder next to the tank and started dumping in the food. "Eat, I need your strength."

Obi-Wan snatched a larger sized flake, and narrowed his eyes before he moved with incredible speed, reaching up and grabbing Palpatine's wrist, yanking it down until his face was pressed to the magical net that stretched over the top of the tank. He glared and moved so his face was very close to Palpatine's as he held up the flake. "What the frogfish is this supposed to be? Even the stench of it in the water is making me feel sick!"

"It's your food," Palpatine growled. "And you will unhand me now, or you will regret ever touching me.

"Scratch him," Sarben encouraged, pulling on his chains tightly. "Give him a taste of his own medicine!"

Rather than scratching him and risking his hold on the man, Obi-Wan bit down on the hand, his fins flailing in threat as his teeth shifted into needle-like fangs rather than the human-like smile he normally had.  
Sarben watched with wide eyes, adrenaline running through his veins as he pulled against his chains more, and then he looked down at Phinara, thinking quickly while Palpatine was distracted and in pain. There was an opportunity, and it was the time to take it.

"Obi-Wan, keep a hold of him!" Sarben gathered up his strength and pulled one fisted hand away from the wall as hard as he could, his eye glowing briefly as the chain tore right through the wall and flung across the room, leaving the half-elf with a free hand. He quickly knelt down next to the girl. "Phinara, listen to me. You need to escape as quickly as you can once I get this chain free. Find the nice lady upstairs and take her to the village. Avoid this man if he escapes, do you understand?"

"But…you still here?" she asked, eyes wide as she looked up at him.

"Yes, I'm staying here, now get as far away from the wall as you can." Sarben waited until she scooted away, and then he took a hold of the chain and started yanking on it as hard as he could. Over and over he yanked, each time a little bit of his magic being used to help break the link. Soon cracks started to form, and Sarben yanked more desperately each time, occasionally looking over his shoulder to make sure Palpatine was still occupied with Obi-Wan. The mer's teeth could only do so much before they had to let go, so Sarben changed the position of his feet and readjusted his grip. This yank had to be the last one, or they all were doomed to the cruelty of the old man.

Sarben let out a few breaths before he focused all his magic into the chain and the wall, and with an aggressive shout, he pulled the chain straight from the wall. That was when Palpatine freed himself from Obi-Wan's bite, and he was in a rage. Phinara had little chance of escaping through the door the old man usually came in. Panicking, Sarben grabbed the girls chain and broke it into a shorter length where the weakened link was, not having time to take the chain off completely.

"Phinara, go in that hole in the corner now! Find the lady and get help!" He shoved the girl in the direction of the hole, which thankfully was on the other side of the room and was small enough that Palpatine had no chance of chasing her.

Turning back to Palpatine, Sarben braced himself for what was to come. He thought he had enough strength left to break his other chains, but if he was going to do so, he needed to do it as fast as possible. He yanked at his chains, kicking out and growling, yelling, making any sort of noise to release the tension of escaping as quickly as he could.

The room started in an uproar, creatures and beings long silenced in fear and depression crying out as they, too, started trying to free themselves and cause chaos while Phinara crawled through the hole and stood up, running along the path that opened up to her as she let out a continuous yell that only faltered when she tripped, scraping her knee. She pushed herself back up, "Only a boo-boo. Mama gonna kiss it better soon!" she told herself before continuing to run and crying out all along the way.

Sarben watched as one of the creatures moved to cover up the hole that Phinara used to escape, and he let himself be relieved for just a second before he felt something grab at his throat and hold him up in the air, as if a phantom hand had grabbed him. He clawed away at his neck with his free hand, all while still yanking on the chains connecting his other hand to the wall. He glared down at Palpatine, the old man harboring a nasty wound on  his hand and a scowl on his face that looked like he was going to murder someone.

Behind Palpatine, Obi-Wan glanced around, hoping for a way out of his own confinement. Then he remembered his earlier idea. It was risky, but if he could save his life mate's father so that he could finally meet his dad…

The mer pressed both hands to the glass and leaned forward until the tip of his nose barely touched it. His lips parted and he let out a loud tone that began to make the glass vibrate until it shattered and he found himself being washed onto the stone floor, water and shards of broken glass everywhere. Grabbing a shard and ignoring how it cut into his hand, Obi-Wan weaponized it and stabbed it into Palpatine's buttcheek as it was the highest he could reach.

Palpatine cried out and turned his attention back to Obi-Wan. "You stupid fucking fish!" He stomped down on Obi-Wan's hand, crushing it as hard as he could.

Obi-Wan cried out and took another shard of glass, stabbing it deep into Palpatine's leg.

Sarben pulled a few more times on his chains before he realized he was losing energy, and he didn't have enough to free himself. Instead he focused the rest of the magic he had and aimed it towards Palpatine. He sent out a blast that had the intentions of shocking the old man down to his core, but before the magic could reach Palpatine, Sarben's energy gave out, and he collapsed against the wall, hanging by his one chained hand and exhausted beyond doing any more help. He looked up at Palpatine and Obi-Wan, hoping Phinara would get help in time.

* * *

To be continued…


	20. Chapter 20

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In this chapter we use a lesser known/used word, so to clear up any confusion, "damoiseaux" is the plural form of "damoiseau" (Young man/young man not yet knighted) which is basically the male version of "damsel" (Young woman/young unmarried woman).

Phinara had no idea where she was going, but she wasn't alone once she remembered a little spell her father had taught her for when she was lost. She slid to a stop and hid under an old rickety table as she concentrated on her spell. It took a few minutes for her to do, but finally a little blue bobble appeared floating above her hand. "Find nice mommy lady to help." She whispered and the bobble took off. She scrambled to chase after it, paying no attention to anything else until the old castle ruins gave way to a much nicer area of the castle.

She didn't pause to look around; however, as the bobble would not wait for her and if she lost sight of it, she'd have to cast the spell again. She was so hungry…she didn't think she'd be able to cast it a second time.

Quickly the bobble traveled, leading Phinara to Shmi, the lady who would help her return to the village. Through halls and rooms it went until finally the bobble stopped at an open door, Shmi just about to go through when the bobble came to her, floating right before her face before starting to fizzle in a shower of glittering particles that faded away before reaching the floor.

Only a few seconds later something small ran right into the confused Queen's legs, arms wrapping around them both as the bobble fizzled away into nothing.

Shmi was startled as she grabbed the door frame for support. "Hello? Who are you, little girl?"

"I-I Phinara. Mister Sarban told me to run and find you He said you'd take me back to my mommy because you're his baby's mommy and nice!"

Shmi blinked. "W-who told you?"

"Mister Sarban. He a elf like me and he made me free!" she held up the broken chain still attached to her, "He helped when mister mermaid bit the bad man."

"Sarben..." Stunned by what this girl was saying, Shmi hardly knew what to do. "He told you that I would take you to your mommy? Does she live in the elf village?"

She nodded, "Bad man stoled me away when I was playing in da woods. He steals lots of people. Mister Sarban, Mister Mermaid, Miss Centaur—even Miss Dragon is stealed away."

"This is quite a lot to take in... And as much as I want to know where Sarben is, getting you home is important right now. Let's go immediately, okay?" Shmi offered her hand to the girl as she pulled out her phone with the other, intending on contacting Anakin and instructing him to head to the village.

"Bad man still wif them, though! He gonna hurt them more! He mad."

"If we're going to confront this bad man, we're going to need help, and those in the village will be the best to help us."

The girl looked down and nodded, "I do want my mommy…and cookies…"

"Well, for being such a brave little girl, you deserve both of those.  Come, we have an adventure ahead of us." Shmi dialed her son's number and waited for him to pick up.

"Hey Mom," Anakin answered. "We just finished up at the camps. Things are crazy, but the guards can't do anything about it. Everyone is going home free, but no sign of dad or Obi…"

"Fantastic work, sweetie," Shmi said with a smile. "Now I need you to meet me at the village as soon as possible. We have a change of plans."

"Sure, Owen and I will be right there. We'll bring our friends too."

"Please do. We're going to need all the help we can get. I'll see you at the village." Shmi hung up and pocketed her phone, and then she picked up Phinara, rushing away to the path that would lead to the village.

 

* * *

 

"Shmi? – Phinara?" Ahsoka's mother Shaak said in surprise once she greeted them at the village entryway.

"Hello, Shaak. This little girl tells me she was being held with other magical creatures by a bad man. Sarben... Sarben is also being held by that man apparently. The village needs to know."

"You found him? After all this time?" she asked, then smiled at Phinara who was clearly exhausted and dozing off in Shmi's arms, "…Phinara here is a Skywalker. I'm sure you know exactly where to find them."

Shmi looked surprised. "She's a Skywalker? Oh this just got a whole lot more personal." She sighed and shook her head. I'm sure she'll be glad to be back home, as will her mother.  My sons will be here shortly if they haven't already arrived. I asked them to come so we could determine what our next step should be."

"You're the first to arrive." Shaak said, opening the archway an letting the human queen through, "I'll be sure to greet them quickly and send them your way."

Shmi bowed. "Thank you. Keep your guard up. I have a feeling things are about to get bad very quickly."

"You sound like you don't have time to explain that…we aren't compromised are we?"

"I honestly can't tell you. If what Phinara here says is true, then we have a lot to be worried about. Especially if Sarben is fighting the man keeping him captive right now... Assuming Sarben is actually still alive..."

"Under castle..." she muttered sleepily, "Mommy?"

Shmi sighed. "You'll be with your mommy soon, little one. Hang in there."

"Go, get her safe in her mother's arms." Shaak said.

"I will, and thank you again." Shmi walked through the entrance to the village and made a beeline for the Skywalker homes.

As she drew closer, Phinara started to wiggle as she finally found her home after so long. "Ai! Ai!" she called out suddenly, spotting her brother.

The older brother stood up fully from the crouched position he had over the flowers in front of their home, his eyes wide as he heard his sister's voice. "Phin?"

"Ai!" She wiggled until Shmi set her down and then she ran to him, leaping right before she reached him and clinging to him with her face in his chest.

"Phin, oh my god, Phin!" Aithlin  held his sister right to him, tears falling from his eyes as he realized his sister was actually in his arms.

"Where's mommy?" she asked, though her grip on her brother didn't loosen.

"She's inside, come on." He stood up and carried his sister inside. "Mom, Phin is back!"

"Phinara? My baby!" Aurae gasped, dropping the rag she was using to clean with and rushing over to pull her youngest child into her arms, peppering her face with kisses.

Aurae, Aithlin and Phinara all ended up on the floor hugging each other, many tears being shed at the reunion.

Shmi walked in and smiled, leaning against the doorway. "She ended up finding me in the castle. Apparently... She knows where Sarben is."

"Uncle Sarben?" Aithlin asked.

"Uncle?" Phinara tilted her head to look at him.

"Sarben is our uncle, yes," Aithlin said to the girl. "He hasn't been around since I was a baby. He's been gone from us a very long time, so if you know where he is, we need to know, Phin."

"He protected me. And helped me not be as scared…and broke the chain so I could run for helps…he back under the castle with the bad man." She leaned into her mother's chest and stuck her thumb in her mouth.

"Under the castle? He's been under the castle for 21 years? Why am I having trouble believing that?" Aithlin said quietly.

"It's scary. The bad man also has others there. A dragon, centaur, and even a mermaid." She gave a smile, "Mister mermaid bit the bad man's hand so I could run! His teef were sharp!"

"A dragon?" Aithlin looked up at Shmi. "If that man has managed to capture a dragon..."

"Then we have a much bigger issue on our hands," Shmi finished, moving away from the doorway. "We need a plan, an army, something to prepare us for what's to come."

"He steals our magic, too! Miste—Uncle Sarban's hair is all choppy and everyone had owies and stuff!" the little girl said.

"We need to act fast," Aithlin said as he stood up, looking behind Shmi and smiling.

Just outside the doorway, both Anakin and Owen stood, a small army of men and women behind them who had assisted in freeing magical people from the containment camps.

"Anakin," Shmi turned to him, "someone has been hiding your father and other captured magical beings under the castle."

"What?" Anakin blinked. "He's under the castle? He's been under our noses all this time, and we never knew?"

"You sound like me," Aithlin commented.

"I don't understand... So if my dad is under the castle right now, then what are we doing here?" Anakin stepped inside and looked at his mother.

"I had to bring brave little Phinara home to her mommy. She was also being held under there and escaped. I'm not about to leave her alone with people she doesn't know in the castle while we go down and rescue everyone who's down there."

"Well, we have the starts of a group that can take down the man and free the magical creatures. We can free Dad finally..."

"There's one more thing. Phinara mentioned there's also a mer down there." Shmi said.

Anakin tensed up slightly. "Obi... I _knew_ something bad happened to him!"

"Yes, so let's quickly gather everyone willing to help us raid our own castle so we can go save our damoiseaux in distress!" Shmi said, patting Anakin's shoulder.

The blond nodded and turned back to his brother and their small group of helpers. "Everyone, go to the houses and rally together as many as you can. Have them prepare for a fight. We have a battle ahead of us that is important to the equality of all races."

Owen saluted with a smirk and turned to go gather troops, the others in the group doing the same.

"Mommy, can I has a cookies?" Phinara asked, "And lunch?"

Her mother smiled, "Of course. I'll even let you have a cookie while I make you lunch." She kissed her head and got up to take her to the kitchen. I'll have your daddy get out the tools to help get that chain off you, too. Then you're getting a nice bath."

 

* * *

 

Palpatine grumbled as he wrapped his hand up in bandages. He had locked up the dungeon before he left, and he had also chained up Obi-Wan as far away from water as possible. Maybe it would teach the mer to not attack him. But that wasn't his main concern. The young elf girl was missing now, and Sarben was proving to be no help at all in locating her. It left Palpatine frustrated and angry. If word got out of what he was doing, he would surely be put to death, or if he was lucky, just kicked out of the kingdom. The old man highly doubted that he'd end up that lucky.

Finishing wrapping his hand, Palpatine sighed and stood up, wincing as pain shot up his leg from where the glass had pierced his skin. It was going to be harder for him to walk for a while, but as long as his secret didn't expose him, he would be back his normal health in no time.

"Sir, you told me to repot to you if any strange magical creature activity was spotted at the castle?" Tarkin said, slipping into Palpatine's room.

Palpatine rolled his eyes. "Yes, so I assume the only reason you have come to my room is to tell me that there is a magical threat on its way."

"An…army of it, it looks like. Plus a review of the security footage showed a little elf girl running through the halls and into the queen."

Palpatine whipped around to glare at Tarkin. "What?! Then get your men out there! Quit wasting time!"

"Problem, sir…The royal family is leading the army of mix and match magical creatures. The guards won't take up arms against their princes."

Palpatine paled slightly, but he frowned and stormed off, fed up with the trouble the Skywalker family was causing him lately.

"Sir? What should I do? My loyalty remains to you."

"Make sure no one enters the castle, and I mean no one. No one goes in and no one gets out."

"Sir—I'm just one man…"

"You won't be for long…" Palpatine turned back to Tarkin and raised his hands a dark humming filling the air and a purple haze surrounding both men.

"What—wait, what are you—no—no I don't like this feeling--! Stop!" He gasped, falling to his hands and knees as pain started stinging in every pore of his body. Then, to his horror he saw his hands below him start to rip apart exposing bone until even that, too, began to crumble. He screamed as it moved up his arms and legs until there was nothing left of him to scream, leaving a pile of gruesome and clothing.

Palpatine shifted his arms and spoke something in a language not spoken in a very long time, and after the words had been spoken, the pile rose up and divided, soulless beings rising from the ashes and staring at Palpatine, waiting for orders. Dozens materialized, giving the old wizard an obedient army that was suitable for fighting off the army of magical creatures coming for him.

Soon, Palpatine's army stood ready and waiting, and with a huff, he nodded his head in the direction of the beach, commanding them to go and take position. When they had left, Palpatine sighed and brushed back his thinning hair, preparing his mind for the battle ahead. He followed his army outside, noting how cloudy it started to get, and he went to confront the royals leading the magical army.

 

* * *

 

Obi-Wan whimpered as he hung upside-down, a chain wrapped too tightly around the base of his tail and holding him just out of reach from the floor and the slowly disappearing puddles of water which were left from the tank. His tail, torso, and arms were cut up by rolling around and sliding in the shards of glass, and his hands throbbed from the cuts he gave himself in his attempts to stab Palpatine. Below him, Palpatine had even placed a large flat pan to catch any blood for his dark magic needs.

Sarben still hung against the wall, breathing a bit sporadic but deep. What bangs he had left hung over his eyes, hiding how bloodshot they were. His shoulder hurt like hell, but he had no strength to keep himself up. It was like Palpatine had gone ahead and cut his hair, so much energy had been used just to free Phinara.

Across the room, a centaur stood watching each and every creature, her fiery spirit not yet beaten down. She knew everyone was restless, and she was determined to use that restlessness to build up energy again.

Next to the centaur, the dragon stood in her cage, wings extended as far as they could, her piercing eyes locked onto Sarben, as were most eyes of all the magical creatures in the dungeon. She grunted and snorted, trying to get Sarben to look up.

Obi-Wan tried to move as little as possible as movement only caused the chains to cut deeper into his already dry, brittle scales to get to his sensitive flesh underneath. But when the slightly swaying and turning the chain, making him into a nauseous feeling pendulum, did turned him in Sarben's direction; he spoke, "Are you okay, Father-kinsmen?" he said using a unique Merian word for in-law that translated strangely even with magic.

Sarben didn't seem to respond. He felt exhausted, and he honestly didn't want to move. But after a bit, he lifted his head enough to look at Obi-Wan. "I'll… be fine…"

"You're not fine," the centaur spoke up. "You used too much magic too fast. You know this isn't something that you can heal from over time. Not alone."

"You need to see a magical healer." A pixie said from the bird cage containing her and four other pixies, all with their wings ripped off and starting to slowly grow back. Which would only be taken from them once again.

"I'm fine," Sarben snapped, trying to stand up but failing to do so and falling back against the wall with a grunt. "I just need time…"

"Time will not heal you, elf… but if we all pull together, perhaps we can lend you some of our magic," the centaur suggested. "Just a little bit from each of us will provide more than enough healing and magical strength for you."

"I can't ask that of you," Sarben replied.

"You don't have to!" one of the other pixies said, "You have long been our leader of hope in this dark place. We even almost escaped today because of your sacrifices. We have long been silent, but it's time we stand up to help take some burden off your shoulders. We each can afford to lend just a little without endangering ourselves."

"Please… if we manage to escape, you'll all need as much energy as you have."

With a snort the centaur stomped her foot down on the stone floor. "Nonsense! You can't be serious right now! You need our help to get us out of here, so you're taking our help whether you like it or not. Got it?"

Sarben blinked, looking up at the centaur, then around the room at all the others who had looked up to him for so many years. Knowing he was fighting a losing battle, he sighed and hung his head. "If all of you are willing… then I suppose I can't say no to this help."

"Good. We'll get you back to your wife and son yet." A werewolf said.

"A goblin cackled and held up a ring of keys, "Picked nasty's pockets in the scuffle I did! Didn't notice with the glass stabs!"

"You're amazing Lert," the centaur said with a smile. "Now we don't have to waste energy on unlocking chains and cages. Toss them over here."

Lert did so, chucking it a little too hard in his attempt to make sure it'd make it the distance it needed to go. He flinched when it hit the Centaur's leg with a painful-sounding smack. "Sorry! I no mean to hurt hoofed friend!"

"No harm done," the centaur reassured. She unlocked her chains and stretched long and hard, thankful for her freedom. "Alright, first up is you, Sarben." She approached the half-elf and unchained him, helping him settle gently on the floor before she went around and freed everyone else.

"Once we're all free, we'll lend you some magic to get you going again, and we'll get the beetle out of here!" one of the pixies said.

"You're all too kind," Sarben said, sounding more exhausted than he had before.

"Stay with us, Sarban. Think of holding your baby boy for the first time."

Once everyone was free, even Obi-Wan who was carefully lowered onto a glass-free spot on the floor, they all gathered around the half elf, each summoning what magic they could spare and pushing it into Sarben's chest. Glowing lights of every hue lighting up the dimly lit room until they were all offered to the elf in need.

* * *

To be continued…


	21. Chapter 21

Anakin marched forward with a focused expression, his hands balled up into fists at his side. The soft sand beneath his feet was hardly a concern at that moment, because there were lives at stake, lives that he cared very much for and would refuse to let die if he had any say about it.

The beach seemed calm, eerie almost. The waves gently crashing against the shore and a light breeze blew as dark clouds rolled in. The sounds of many other feet, hooves, and paws stepping on the sand seemed to be too loud against the calm nature of the beach, and that was what set Anakin on edge first. The calmness set off all alarms in his head, telling him, warning him of a coming danger, though what danger, he didn't know.

In the distance, close to the castle, a figure appeared alone, limping towards the army. Upon taking a closer look, the figure turned into an older man. Now every bone in his body screamed at Anakin to fight or run away. Having an idea of what was to come, Anakin strongly chose to fight, even if it meant hurting in the process.

From the sea head and shoulders began to pop up, Qui-Gon's among them. Hunting spears in hand, like the one Anakin still had in his room. Some of the aquatic beings moved closer to the shores, their tails morphing into legs as they stood and waded through the shallows. All of them were female and incredibly beautiful. It was easy to guess that they were sirens.

Anakin had remembered seeing a few of them in the camp he'd liberated, and he knew they had taken the water entrance to the village back to the ocean after hearing the plan to storm the castle. They had clearly alerted the nearby communities of aquatic magical beings.

After the sirens were all gathered on the sand, a group of seals appeared and followed, morphing into men and women as they got to shallower waters, just as the sirens had. Though, unlike their cousins who seemed to gain beautiful silk-like dresses, the selkies. Remained naked.

One siren with golden hair approached Anakin with her hand over her heart, "I am Satine. My lost sister has informed me of your intentions to free those humans have hurt. We have come to help—and don't worry, it's not mating season." She grinned.

"I wasn't too worried about that." Anakin smiled as he held out his hand for her to shake it. "I'm Anakin, if you haven't figured that out yet. Thanks for coming."

"I didn't know your name, just that a human with curly hair was the leader in all this. My people are ready to end the war, the fear, and the hiding once and for all. We just want peace, as do all who have come." Her eyes focused forward at the man in the distance, "…Is that the one?"

"I have no idea. If I had to guess, yeah, but we have no idea who this person is or what they're capable of, just that they've been holding magical creatures hostage in the dungeon of my castle. Right under our noses the whole time…" Anakin shook his head with a sigh. "I just want my fiancé and dad safe."

"Ah, that explains why you are helping us. You aren't actually full human either." She smiled and nodded, "I hate violence, which may sound strange to you, knowing what I am and what my kind do come mating season, but I agree that this time it's necessary. We'll take that man down and find our fellow magical sisters and—whatever the word is for the boys…"

"Brothers, sisters, family members, we're all magical creatures, and we deserve the freedom we used to have. Humans shouldn't be allowed to terrorize us any longer." Anakin looked back towards the figure. "I want to try to talk to him before anything happens. Have your sisters ready to attack if I give the signal. I'll inform the others to be prepared as well."

She nodded, "I'll get word spreading among the warriors of the water. You do so for the warriors of the land." She said, moving back over to the others.

Anakin returned to his brother and the line of humans standing in front of the magical creatures acting as a protective barrier. "Have all the humans ready to attack on my signal. All others should stand ready to do the same. I'm going to see if this man will listen to reason."

"Be careful. Don't you dare let him get the first attack in on you. Mom will be devastated if you fell today." He said.

"I'll be careful," Anakin promised, then he turned to face the man in the distance and sighed, starting to walk forwards.

"Hey, take this if you're going!" an elf said, rushing forward and presenting him with an elfin-made sword.

Anakin took the sword and looked it over. "Thanks. I hope I don't need this, but if worst comes to worst, I hope this sword protects me well."

He continued on his path towards the figure, which slowly became more and more recognizable the closer he got. When he was finally able to make out facial features, Anakin stopped, confused and concerned. "Palpatine? What are you doing out here?"

"I was hoping to find you, my boy. I became worried when only your father was in the castle. You, your brother, and mother were all gone and no one knew where to or why." His eyes flickered behind him at the gathered magical beings. "What exactly is going on?"

"Learned my dad and by fiancé were both locked up in the dungeon… You wouldn't happen to know anything about that would you?"

"The dungeons? My boy, there is nothing down there but ruins."

"That's what I thought until recently. Had a little girl appear in the castle claiming she came from the dungeon and said that there were magical creatures being kept down there. Turns out she was a cousin of mine who had been lost for a while."

"You aren't making any sense, Anakin. Why would your father and cousin be down there if allegedly there are only magical creatures? You are human, so they would be human as well."

"Because I'm not human, not fully at least. I'm a quarter elf."

"You're human. I was there for your birth, my boy, I was there when your birth certificate was finalized."

Anakin lowered his eyebrows. "I know my mother isn't a liar."

"I know what I witnessed." The man shrugged, "Plus your ears aren't pointed."

"The pointed ears are hardly prominent with even a half-elf.  With my mom being human and my dad being half-elf, there's no way I would have been born with pointed ears."

"I'm not here to argue with you." The old man sighed, "I just wanted to make sure all was well with the royal family I so humbly serve."

"Everything will be fine once we go to the dungeon and figure things out." Anakin turned to go, hand on his sword now tied to his belt.

"It's dangerous down there. That whole area of the castle is blocked off for a reason, my boy." Palpatine said moving to follow him and trying hard not to limp.

"I don't care, I'm going to find my dad," Anakin said with a slight warning tone.

"Don't get your hopes up. There could be nothing down there and it was all just a child's over-active imagination."

"That girl was malnourished and damn near dehydrated, I doubt she would make something as traumatic as this up."

"She could have also been delirious, then. I just don't want you to feel that heartbreak if your father isn't down there." He said, placing his hand on his shoulder.

"I've been without my dad for my whole life, now. If he's not there, I won't be heartbroken." Anakin shrugged off Palpatine's hand, glimpsing it as it fell. "What did you do to your hand?"

"Ah, clumsy with a steak knife, I'm afraid."

"A steak knife? What did you do, slice your hand wide open?"

"Yes. I stitched it up and put some magical herbs on it under the bandage to aid the healing."

"Why didn't you just go to the hospital? They would have done everything for you, plus you know it wouldn't get infected."

"Why use up so much time when I know what magical herbs prevent infection? This way it'll heal much faster, anyway."

Anakin shrugged. "I guess if you were in a hurry you would use magic."

"My boy, if you can use magic, why wouldn't you? Being in a hurry isn't a factor more than wanting the shortest time of being in pain."

"Well, I'm not trained in magic that heals, so if I tried to help myself, it might end up causing me more pain." Anakin shook his head. "But this conversation is keeping me from going to the dungeon. I really need to go."

"I could certainly teach you what I know. I don't know direct healing magic, but I do know which magical plants have what kind of healing properties."

"Later when I'm not preoccupied with going to the dungeon, okay?" Anakin turned and started walking faster towards the castle, hoping Palpatine would get the hint.

"You'll find nothing but rubble." He said, trying to walk normally after him—he failed.

"Even if that's all I'll find, I still have to look." Anakin glanced back. "I suggest not trying to stop me, because it feels like that's what you've been doing."

"Why don't you just go for a swim with your boyfriend?"

Anakin narrowed his eyes. "You really are trying to stop me... I said he was missing. Locked up in that dungeon."

"Come on, how would a merman get down there without being seen? Or any magical being for that matter. There would be security footage."

"There would be. Good thing I looked already."

"If there were any such footage, the guards would have investigated it."

"You would think, unless they were acting under orders from a different person."

"Such as?"

"Tampering with the footage to make it look like Obi maybe just swam away from the rock he was relaxing on."

The old man rolled his eyes. "I meant who else would they be taking such commands from?"

"You," Anakin said, taking a threatening step towards the old man. "You're hiding something in that dungeon aren't you?"

"Now why on earth would I want to even think about doing anything in those dark, damp dungeon ruins?"

"Because it's the perfect place to hide things right under the royal family's noses."

"I've been your teacher for years, young man, don't you trust me?"

"I thought I did." Anakin sighed. "I went around to all the magical holding camps nearby and freed everyone. Not one of them had my dad. Then that girl says his name like she's known him for years, so there's no way he's dead. I've been trying to get to the dungeon to see if that girl was correct, but you've been holding me back with conversation. You have an injured hand and you can't walk straight, so obviously you had some kind of a struggle. Perhaps the girl escaping is linked to your injuries, and if it is, there's no way I can trust you now."

"Very well. I had high hopes for you, but it seems I'll have to set aside the waiting game and just go with plan B. The people will cry out for war once they hear an army of magical creatures slaughtered the entire royal family that had thought they could trust such animals." He said, grabbing a scale from his robes and gripping it, sparks of electricity  zapping about his hand before his other hand shot forward and lightning leapt out from his fingertips.

Anakin's eyes went wide as he quickly pulled out his glowing blue sword, but it did very little to deflect the electricity. He went down with a shout, hoping he was loud enough to alert his army.

"I should thank you—for luring a mer right into my grasp. You have no clue the dark spells I could do with that nasty fish's blood and scales!" Palpatine sneered.

Anakin glared at Palpatine through his grimace of pain. "You're terrible," he managed to spit out.

"You're family is weak, giving up complete power of this kingdom and mixing your blood with filthy animals. I will reform this government into my own empire! And you wi—" he was cut off when a rock was flung forward, smacking into his temple and causing him to collapse.

Anakin sighed in relief and looked for the source of the rock.

Owen came running up and picked up Anakin off of the ground. Behind him came most of the army of magical creatures, all looking upset and ready to fight.

"Idiot, I told you not to let him get the first attack…"

Anakin grunted as he got to his feet. "He surprised me. He's got a lot of magical creatures locked up in the dungeon." Pointing his sword at the old man, Anakin stepped forward carefully. "If you're still strong enough to fight, I recommend you don't. You're far outnumbered here."

The man smirked, "Am I?" he snapped his fingers and the doors of the castle burst open, an army of his own marching out.

"What…the…Tarkin?" Owen gasped at the army of Tarkin clones.

Anakin's eyes widened once more. "Holy shit… What the hell did you do to Tarkin?!"

"Made him more useful." He smirked as his army attacked.

Chaos suddenly broke out on the beach. Clones attacked the magical races, some being slaughtered almost immediately on both sides. Anakin and Owen were lost among both armies, leading them away from Palpatine and allowing him to regain his composure to formulate an attack.

Anakin got knocked to the ground by one clone. It pinned him down and started choking him out, but his sword quickly found the heart of the clone and stabbed through, though as soon as the clone had been stabbed, it turned into a pile of dust, then formed several more clones from it. The prince scrambled away, quickly finding himself being surrounded by clones. He couldn't think much of what to do other than slay the clones, but he now knew that killing the clones was useless unless they killed the source of their energy.

"What the shit are these Tarkins made of?" he heard Owen shout.

In the water, the mers were pooling their powers to form the water into large waves they could control, forcing Tarkin clones to be washed into the water where they'd meet spears.

Centaurs stomped clones into dust, and in turn stomped those clones that came from the dust. More and more clones popped up until there was an overwhelming amount that couldn't be defeated. The magical creatures were fighting a losing battle, and all because Palpatine had a spell that worked much like a hydra.

Anakin growled in frustration as he was getting pushed back. "Fall back," he started to call out. "Regroup! We need a new plan!"

 

* * *

 

"Hold on tight, we don't want you falling until we get to the water." The centaur said as Obi-Wan was hoisted onto her back.

"I'll do my best, but I've never done this before." He said, wrapping his arms around her human-ish torso and his stiff, dry, pained tail around her horse-ish torso as best he could, ignoring the fact a few more scales flaked off from the movement.

"Don't worry, you'll get the hang of it soon," Sarben said, looking much better than he did before. "Just make sure you don't lose your grip while Callona here kicks down the door. Everyone else will be right behind, and I'll bring up the rear with the dragon."

"Be careful that she doesn't electrocute you, Sarben, She can't control how much energy she'll generate once she really gets going." Callona warned.

"I'll be fine. I've got a ton of different magic now, so I'm sure I'll have something to keep me safe while I'm on her back. You just focus on getting Obi-Wan to the water."

Suddenly the whole room shook as a deep rumble came from outside. Sarben stumbled and fell against the dragon, who had tamed her electricity for the time being. "That was either thunder… or something big happening outside. Either way, be careful and be quick to get to the water. Obi-Wan, all you need to do is get rehydrated, you hear me? Nothing more."

"I'll have troubles swimming in this condition, but the water will ease a lot." Obi-Wan nodded. He looked up when debris was knocked loose from the ceiling, "Lets get out of here before the room collapses or something."

"I agree." Saben nodded and climbed onto the dragon's back and settled himself comfortably. "Alright, Callona, break down those doors!"

"Yes, Sir!" The centaur changed forward and up the stairs, reaching out her front legs and slamming her hooves on the wooden doors. At first it didn't budge, but kick after kick they finally began to give way until it splintered and shot forward, freeing those who had been in the dungeon for too many years. Callona shielded her eyes briefly before she charged through the castle and towards the ocean, the sand flying beneath her hooves once she reached the beach.

A great roar filled the skies from the dragon as she destroyed the too-small doorway, rock flying everywhere as she took to the skies. Her wings faltered a little bit, but eventually they caught wind and lifted her up high, Sarben on her back laughing and whooping with joy or finally being free.

Then the chaos on the beach took the attentions of both Sarben and Callona. Clones started attacking the centaur as she ran, and she stomped as many as she could while still keeping her path towards the ocean, though she had to round it off around the army of clones because a direct path was blocked heavily.

Obi-Wan unwrapped his tail and began to swing it around, whacking clones to beat them away, though it caused him to slip from Callona's back with each bumpy step. "What the cuddlefish is going on out here?" he gasped.

"I haven't the faintest clue, dear. Just focus on holding on, we're almost to the water." Callona punched a clone in the face as she passed it, pushing herself to run faster.

"Hard with all these identical dust monsters attacking us!" he grunted.

"I know, just hold on." The centaur barreled through more clones before her hooves were finally splashing in water. "Will you make it if you drop without me stopping?"

"If you are able to go a bit deeper so I don't hit the sandy bottom too hard when I drop." He nodded.

"Okay, hang on, this may get rough." Deeper into the water Callona went, pumping her legs as well as she could until she reached a deeper part, the water reaching nearly halfway up her legs. "This good?"

"Good enough. Thank you." Obi-Wan said, knowing it was probably difficult for her to run in water while so weak from captivity. He let go and let himself slide off her back into the water, and he settled down after pulling himself along away from her step to simply lay on the sand and soak in water.

"Stay safe," she said as she galloped away, going to help some of the magical creatures she had been locked up with.

Overhead, the dragon roared again and dove down to blow away the clones, Sarben holding tight to her spines to keep from falling off. As they flew by, he used some of his magic to destroy the clones, blue sparks shooting from his hands. The dragon rose into the sky once more and roared again. She was starting to regain some of her strength, and Sarben could tell by the way the seat of his pants started to heat up.

Back down on the beach, Anakin and his small army started to huddle in a large group, the humans lining the outside edge of the group to protect those on the inside. Anakin stood next to Owen, desperately trying to think of a new plan until he happened to glance over at Palpatine, who had gotten up and was looking towards the sky, presumably at the dragon flying overhead. The prince took that as a sign for him to charge forward, and that was exactly what he did. Sword in front of him he cut down every clone in his path, not paying any attention to the new clones that grew in their place. He saw red, he wanted to stop Palpatine and give him the punishment he deserved; death.

When he got closer, Anakin shouted and raised his sword, his coming attack aimed right for the old wizard's head.

The old man vanished right as the blade would have hit. Dark purple smoke curling and reforming into a grinning, chuckling Palpatine. "You have much yet to learn—too bad you threw away your chance to do so my former apprentice."

"Knowing what I know now, I'm glad I won't be your apprentice anymore." Anakin took another swing at the old man, only for the same thing to happen.

"Tsk, tsk, no matter how much you swing that sward no harm can come to an illusion, idiot boy."

Anakin scowled. "You kept secrets from me for so long. Hell, you hid my own dad right under my nose for twenty-one fucking years! You're the scum of the earth for doing that." The prince was about to swing again, but a louder roar turned both his and Palpatine's attentions to the sky above, watching as the dragon landed, kicking up wind and sand, right between the two.

The soft crunch of feet on sand caught Anakin's attention, and then the dragon circled around behind Palpatine, revealing Sarben standing with his back turned to Anakin, a small knife out and ready to attack should Palpatine make a move.

"Back away from my son," he growled out, the dragon growling with him as he spoke, almost as if they were connected in their minds.

Palpatine smirked, "Sarben, shouldn't you be barely alive and in chains?"

Sarben looked up at the dragon and gestured his head in a specific direction, then he looked back at Palpatine as she started sniffing around and growling when Sarben spoke again. "Your chains couldn't hold me forever. I'm just sorry it took twenty-one years for them to finally break."

Anakin stood in awe, watching his father, or who he assumed to be his father, talk to Palpatine.

"They'll hold you again. But this time, they'll hold you while you know your wife and child are dead and there is nothing waiting for you."

"You won't take my family away from me, not this time, bastard. You've done enough damage to last a lifetime." Sarben moved past Palpatine and over to the dragon, who had stopped sniffing and was growling.

Curious, Anakin stepped closer to the old wizard, and to his surprise, his hand went right through, like he was a hologram.

"I'll put their heads on stakes where you can watch them rot!" the dark wizard snarled.

"You'll not lay another crusty old finger on any member of my family!" The half-elf started sparking magic in his hands, the dragon doing much of the same in her mouth. "I suggest you give up now, Palpatine. You've been caught."

Anakin jogged over to his father, finding that the dragon had pinned down Palpatine's actual body, not by touching him, but simply by having her sparking snout close to his chest. He would have watched more, but clones started to surround all four of them, and they were multiplying faster than Anakin could keep track. He turned his back on his father and held out his sword, prepared to start fighting.

Thunder rolled overhead, and the storm dragon reared up on her hind legs, spitting lighting up into the clouds. Palpatine took the chance to run—but the lightning struck back down perfectly on where he stood. The dragon fed more lightning into the sky, watching it strike down again and again upon the cruel man who had held and tortured her and so many others for so long. When she stopped, only a blackened husk remained, and she snorted at it before taking off into the sky, sending lightning back down at the clones. This time, their dust blew away in the wind.

Renewed with hope, others resumed their attacks, depleting the Tarkin numbers until the last one disappeared into nothing.

Just like that, the battle was over, and all that was left on the beach were the magical creatures who had escaped the camps and the dungeon, plus those who had come to aid them in the battle. Anakin looked at the distance between him and his brother and smiled. There was a small sadness in his heart for the loss of someone he had come to know quite well over his years, but he was more relieved than anything that Palpatine was dead and gone. Turning back to his father, Anakin watched silently. He had yet to see his father's face yet, and it left him nervous and excited at the same time.

Sarben sighed, feeling a bit weak from finally defeating Palpatine and being free from the dungeon. He turned around to look at his son for the first time, and though he looked tired and ragged from his scars and poorly cut hair, he still managed to smile. "Hello, Son…"

"Sarben!" a voice shouted before a shorter looking elf in armor ran up and flung her arms around him, her helmet falling from her head as she claimed his lips.

She wasn't an elf, but a human.

Sarben stumbled back, nearly falling to the sand before he caught himself and chuckled, kissing the human back with a huge smile. After a bit, he pulled back, the most loving expression on his face as he brushed back the human's hair. "Shmi…"

Tears welled up in the queen's eyes, "I missed you—I searched for so long…"

"I wish I could have told you where I was these past years. It was hell, Shmi, worse than those camps." He cupped her face. "But I stayed strong for you, and for our Ani." He looked up at his son and held his arm out for Anakin to join his parents in a hug.

Anakin wasted no time accepting the offer. He rushed into his parents' arms and hugged them tightly.

"I missed the both of you so much," Sarben said in a whisper.

"I promise he wasn't nearly this big when he was born." Shmi tried joking as her family was finally together at last.

Sarben laughed as he pulled back to get a better look at his son. "Man, you're all grown up now. Never got to see you a child, but I bet you looked as good back then as you do now." He looked back at Shmi. "He definitely took after me in looks."

"In more than just looks." She smiled. "Ani…this is your father. I know you already know that but I feel like I should say it to make it feel more real that he's back."

Anakin nodded. "I'm glad we have him back, or at least I'm glad to finally meet him."

"It's so good to be someplace other than that dungeon." Sarben sighed happily and hugged his family once more.

"Not to cut this reunion short but your niece said a merman was also down there?" Shmi asked the love of her life.

Anakin's eyes widened as he pulled back. "Obi, was he there with you?"

Saben nodded. "Palpatine did catch a mer named Obi-Wan, yes. He should be back in the water now... wait, Phinara is my niece?"

"Excuse me," Anakin said, not waiting for an answer as he pulled away from his parents, sprinting for the water and calling out Obi-Wan's name.

"She's Aurae's youngest." Shmi nodded. As she allowed their son to pull away to find the love of _his_ life.

"Aurae… she had another kid? Boy, I wonder if Sioni ended up having kids as well." Sarben shook his head. "Going back home is gonna be hard."

"No, but she married that dwarf that she had been pining over for years. They are such a cute couple."

"Oh they finally got together? How nice." Sarben hugged Shmi close and sighed. "So… I guess I'm late for our wedding by twenty years now. Think anyone will be upset if I show up now?" He chuckled.

"If they are, they'll answer to me." She said, puffing out her chest as if she was intimidating.

Sarben laughed and hugged his fiancé closer. "God, I've missed you."

"I missed you, too. I'm so sorry I couldn't find you sooner."

"No, this isn't your fault. This was all Palpatine's doing, and there was no way we could have known what would happen. He tricked and captured me to use my magic for his own gain. I really wish I could have escaped sooner, but every time I was ready to escape, he cut my hair and took away all magic energy I had."

"And now it'll be a while before I can give you pretty braids and up-dos. She sighed, brushing her fingers through what was left of his hair.

"I think I need a proper haircut, one that doesn't drain my magic, and I can just start from short and grow it out from there."

"I'm sure we can help you with that after all the injured and fallen are seen to." She said, looking around.

Sarben nodded. "Let's go help people."

Anakin was running along the edge of the water, still calling out Obi-Wan's name as he searched for the mer. He debated jumping in the water to find him quicker, but if he was in the shallows, it was going to be hard to swim around.

In the distance, he spotted Qui-Gon in the water, back to the shore, and head bent down.

Deciding that jumping in the water was almost necessary now, Anakin ran towards the water and dove in, his body changing forms as he quickly swam over to the old mer. "Qui-Gon, have you seen Obi?"

"Here." Qui-Gon said, looking down into the water where he stroked his son's frail cheek and let it rest on his own tail. Obi-Wan's eyes were closed.

"Oh god, Obi…" Anakin gently touched Obi-Wan's cheek. "Obi, come on, I didn't fight all this way just for you to die on me…"

Qui-Gon chuckled, "He's not. He's in bad shape, yes, but he's meditating as he rehydrates. He was very dry, so to save energy he put himself into a meditation. I came here to make sure he wasn't attacked in his vulnerable state. Once he's ready, he'll wake up. Though by the state of his tail I'd guess he'll have a hard time swimming and will need some marshbloom paste to help repair the damage."

"My mom has a mashbloom that I gave her a few months back. I think it's fully grown now, and I'm sure she'd be willing to let us use it."

"If it's fully grown. Some grow quickly, some take years to reach maturity. Do you know what they looks like when they're in full bloom?"

"Yeah, I've helped Obi find mature ones. The one my mom has looked mature the last time I saw it."

Qui-Gon nodded, "Please, the sooner I can make the paste and put it on his wounds, the better they will heal. He may even get away without any scarring."

"What else do you need to make the paste?"

"Do humans have mortar and pestles?"

"Yeah, maybe the kitchen has one. I can ask when I go get the marshbloom."

Qui-Gon nodded, "I'm just glad to have my youngest back."

"I'll be right back with the things you need." Anakin climbed back onto the beach and took off towards the castle.

"You'll be home soon, Obi." Qui-Gon told his son, stroking his hair, "And I'm sure your life mate will be there to cuddle with you as you heal."

Anakin hurried as fast as he could, running past his parents and ignoring their questions of where he was going. Obi-Wan needed help as fast as possible, and Anakin was determined to make that possible. He hurried into his mother's room and grabbed the marshbloom, remembering to wet his hands before picking it up, and then he headed to the kitchen, which luckily had the mortar and pestle he needed. In no time at all Anakin was back on the beach and heading back to the water, careful as he stepped into the water and his body changed forms.

"Here, I got what you needed," he said, handing the marshbloom, mortar, and pestle to Qui-Gon.

Qui-Gon took then and nodded, "Hold him but under the water." He said before getting to work on crushing the bloom with salt water and working it into a thick paste.

Anakin did as he was instructed, holding Obi-Wan steady until Qui-Gon was ready to use the paste on him.

"Okay, try to hold him still. He's meditating but this stuff stings a bit in open cuts. He may flail around."

"Okay…" Holding just a little tighter, Anakin prepared for any movement Obi-Wan might make once the paste was put on his body as Qui-Gon got to work.

Obi-Wan flailed a little in reaction, but nothing too bad or uncontrollable. After Qui-Gon had finished, they waited a bit before Obi-Wan's eyes finally fluttered open to look up at his love.

He smiled, "Looks like I made it."

Anakin smirked and rolled his eyes. "You silly guppy, you had me worried sick over you." He leaned forward and kissed Obi-Wan with a smile.

Obi-Wan chuckled, "But I found your father."

"Yes you sure did. Thanks for that." Anakin wrapped his arms around Obi-Wan and held him close. "I finally have my whole family…"

"And soon our families will be one." Obi-Wan smiled, then he frowned, "When we escaped there were these things that attacked us…"

"Things? The clones, you mean?"

"They looked like humans but when you hit them they turned to dust and became more…"

"Yeah, they were clones of a man who worked security in the castle. Palpatine used some sort of dark magic to create clones out of the original man."

"Are they gone? Is Palpatine gone?"

"Yes, they're all gone. The battle is over."

"Good."

"We also have treated your cuts with a marshbloom. Don't go moving around too much." Qui-Gon said.

"I'm not you, Dad." Obi-Wan chuckled.

"We used the marshbloom I got for my mom. It was the closest one we had, and we were lucky it was fully grown." Anakin sighed and nuzzled the red-headed mer.

"We'll get her a new one." Obi-Wan promised.

"Yeah, I'm sure she'll be missing the one I got her."

"Maybe having her life mate back will be a distraction from the lack of a marshbloom for a bit." He chuckled, nodding over to where Sarben and Shmi were wading into the water together.

Anakin smiled as he looked back at his parents. "Yeah, I'm glad to see my mom so happy now. She can finally marry the love of her life."

"And so can you." Obi-Wan smiled.

"Yes I can." Anakin smiled and kissed Obi-Wan again.

"I love you, Ani."

"I love you too, Obi."

Smiling, Obi-Wan kissed him again, pulling him down into the water fully.

* * *

To be continued…


	22. Chapter 22

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter does have smut at the very end. If you wish to skip it, stop reading when you see the double-line scene break.

"Okay, Obi, you can do this." Obi-Wan said into his reflection of a mirror as he carefully braided strings of pearls into his long red hair. "It's a human-elf ceremony. Ani and his family went over everything with you in rehearsal, you know what to do and there is no reason to be nervous!" he pinned back a braid into place and winced at how he jabbed his scalp.

"…Okay, I'm nervous." He sighed.

"You have absolutely nothing to worry about," Qui-Gon said with a reassuring smile. "You went over rehearsal perfectly. It's just another run through."

"But this time it's real and by human and elf law we will be life mates. Then we'll go do our mer marriage in private before the party afterwards to celebrate." He looked down at the delicate ring he would present to Anakin as a symbol of their marriage. He'd carefully carved it out of pearl and with an elf blacksmith's help, he had filled the symbols he'd carved into the band with gold. Anakin hadn't seen it since he was carving out the center to make sure it would fit Anakin. The quarter elf had no idea what the final product looked like. The ring was nestled within a small clam shell so that it wouldn't be lost. "…Think he'll like it? It's not exactly what humans and elves are used to, but…"

"Obi, I know he'll love it because you made it just for him. There's no other ring like it in the world, and that's pretty special." Qui-Gon swam closer to Obi-Wan and hugged him gently so as to not disturb any accessories.

"I know, but this is all so new… Not to mention I'll finally have the man of my dreams as my life mate."

"Keep in mind that this is all new for Anakin as well. He's probably going through the same emotions as you right now."

"That man took on a dark wizard to save me, and you think he would be nervous about today?"

"Of course. He knows he gets to be your life mate for the rest of his life. Anyone would be nervous about that."

"But he's so brave and kind and handsome, and even drank a potion just so he could join me in the water properly, and I'm just an average merman who was stupid enough to try kissing a human and got lucky he was a good one."

"Sometimes people who have strong shells have soft hearts, and Anakin is certainly one of those people. He drank that potion because he loves you, and he's going to do everything he can for you. I feel good knowing I'll be trusting him with your life."

"I just can't believe he's agreed to be mine." Obi-Wan looked at his palm, wondering what their mating mark would look like. He had taught Anakin the marking spell as promised, and so he knew what both of their marks looked like, but the two would mix together into something unique made up of elements of the two.

"Well you know, the more time you worry over it, the longer he has to wait to meet you at the castle." Qui-Gon chuckled.

"I was so excited I started getting ready early, Dad. I still have a few hours before the ceremony is supposed to start."

"Knowing you, you'll waste those two hours worrying. Finish getting ready, then we can swim to the castle together. I'm excited to try out their new waterways through the building."

Obi-Wan smiled, "They're nice. Made of that stuff they call 'glass' so the light shines through. Anakin even had a private one put in for me to go into his room. Comes out into this little heated pool we can cuddle in."

"How nice. I assume those waterways were Anakin's idea. A bright boy."

"They were. He wanted me to be able to come and go as I felt like it, without needing to be carried inside and then be restricted to using his tub. And then since he will be king once his mother steps down as queen, I'll have my own part to play in the kingdom, and fellow mers will be able to join in on important discussions, just as the other land races now that his kingdom has true equality for all, and magical beings are welcome."

"I'm glad he's taking steps to make sure everyone is welcome in his kingdom… but I may not visit that often. Just as a precaution."

"Even to visit your son?" Obi-Wan pouted at him.

"If you request me to come visit, I will. Otherwise, I think I'll stick to the mer city for now."

"Do you plan to stay in this one or move back into our old city with those wanting to reclaim it?"

"I don't know. Feeling the sun on my back as I swim might be a nice feeling."

"Ani and I already claimed a nice little home for ourselves in the city for when we're staying in the ocean. You could think of getting one near ours. If we end up having pups you'll be able to come over and spend time with them easily. Plus it'd be good for you to get sun more often."

Qui-Gon nodded. "Alright, I'll look into it."

"It'll be good for you. You shouldn't stay all the way down here in an empty nest." Obi-Wan said, turning back to his reflection and returning to pinning his hair up.

"Having an empty nest isn't all too fun, I suppose. Perhaps I should take up a hobby."

"Yes, just something so I know you're taking care of yourself without me here every day."

"Maybe I'll get a pet."

Obi-Wan chuckled, "Shark to take hunting with you?" he guessed.

"You read my mind." Qui-Gon smiled and pat the redhead's shoulder.

The redhead finished getting ready and nodded, "Okay, I think I'm ready."

Qui-Gon nodded and smiled. "Let's go then. You have a nice young man to meet at the castle."

"My life mate." Obi-Wan smiled, wiggling in excitement before he pushed off through the water to start on his way to his wedding.

 

* * *

 

Looking at himself in the mirror, Anakin adjusted his bowtie, feeling it wasn't on straight. He sighed after fixing it and looked down at his watch to check the time. It was almost time for him to go out and wait for the ceremony to start.

"Knock, knock!" Padmé said, poking her head in the doorway and grinning at him. "Decorations are up, an entire orchestra is playing, guests are seated, and we seem to be missing the royal groom. Have you seen him?" she teased.

Anakin smiled as he turned to look at his best friend. "Nah, haven't seen him."

"Damn. He better be found soon or else his handsome groom may cry when he arrives. I may have to marry him myself." She joked.

The prince rolled his eyes and chuckled. "I'm glad you could come, Padmé. Means a lot to me. Now, would you like to help make sure my crown will stay in place? I tried earlier, bit I couldn't get it to stay. I think nerves are getting to me."

"Of course. I get lots of practice these days." The young queen smiled, picking up the prince's crown and moving over to place it upon his head.

"I'd imagine so. How is being a queen?" He crouched down a little so Padmé had an easier time putting his crown on.

"Busy, stressful, but rewarding. I have no idea how you guys gained freedom and equality for magical people here so quickly. I've gained them freedom but still I'm working on the equality part. There are some cities and towns that just don't want to embrace change…"

"Well, after exposing all Palpatine had done, many people were quick to support equality, especially knowing what dark magic could do damage-wise."

"In that case I'm glad it's not as easy as it was for you. I'd hate to think that so many suffered due to dark magic in my kingdom." She said, fixing his tie.

"We had a lot of holding camps... A good chunk of my kingdom's population is made up of magical races, so I guess it was easy for humans to take the sides of the other races." Anakin shrugged.

"As long as they are happy and can live their lives their way." Padmé smiled and stepped back, "I like the new mer-friendly additions to the castle."

"Thanks, they were my idea. I figured it would be easier for Obi-Wan when he comes to the castle, as well as other mers and oceanfolk."

"It's brilliant, and beautiful." She said, "And I see you have a special place to spend time with your husband, too." She nodded to the hot tub that had been added in the main area of the prince's room.

Anakin nodded. "Yep, we'll probably spend a good chunk of time in here."

"Oooo-la-la." She teased, wiggling her eyebrows at him.

"Not like that. At least not most of the time." Anakin sighed and looked at himself in the mirror. "I think I'm ready to go now."

She nodded, "Okay, I'll walk you to the doors and then go around and slip back in through the guest entrance to retake my seat."

"Thanks. Realizing I get to marry Obi-Wan is finally setting in." Anakin smiled, starting to shake sightly from nerves.

"Nervous?"

"Getting there, yeah."

"Take a deep breath and just imagine something nice between you two like curling up to watch a sappy romance movie in your hot tub."

"Thanks for the idea." Anakin chuckled, leaving his room with a smile.

"You'll be fine." She promised, kissing his cheek before pulling back to retake her seat.

Shmi and Sarben were waiting for him at his entrance.

"We just received word that Obi-Wan and his father has arrived and is waiting for things to start." Shmi smiled.

"Good, then I supposed we should get this started."

"My baby boy all grown up and getting married." Shmi said, hugging him.

Anakin hugged back with a smile. "I'm still only 21, Mom. I'm amazed I'm even this far in a romantic relationship at this age."

"You're still too big." She smiled, then looked at her own husband, "I'm sure your father agrees more than anyone."

"Wholeheartedly." Sarben, his hair cropped short and even now, agreed, wrapping arm arm around his wife's waist. "I wish I could go back and see you grow up, but I'm grateful full that I at least get to see you now safely."

Anakin smiled and hugged his father. "I'm glad you're here now. But we should talk later. I have to get married. Shall we walk down the aisle together?"

"We will be happy to give you away to your husband." Shmi smiled.

"I would hope so," Anakin said as he and his parents entered the room and walked towards the front where Obi-Wan and Anakin would exchange their vows.

Upon seeing the prince, the maestro signaled for the music to change and at the same time, Shmi and Sarben walked Anakin down the isle, and Qui-Gon guided Obi-Wan down the waterway isle, a white cape floating behind the mer groom as he moved.

Anakin couldn't keep the smile off his face as the families made their way towards the person who would marry the prince and the mer. When they reached said person, Anakin hugged his parents and let them take their seats in the front of the room on their thrones, the only appropriate place for the queen and king to sit on the day of their son's wedding.

At the same time Qui-Gon hugged his son, whispering words of love before he joined the gathered mers who had attended in curiosity.

Obi-Wan then turned to his groom and smiled, summoning the water with magic to lift himself to be about the same height as Anakin.

Anakin smiled back and grabbed Obi-Wan's hand, squeezing it gently before the ceremony officially began.

The whole time, Obi-Wan couldn't take his eyes off his mate, grinning as he waited for the exciting part—the rings and the kiss. And finally, he was prompted to do so, and he pulled out the clam holding the ring he had crafted. Taking it out, he looked into Anakin's eyes as he slipped it onto his finger.

"I am not sure how these vows are supposed to go, but I can promise that I will forever love you with my entire being from this day forth, no matter what may happen, I will be by your side. I hope you will take this ring I so carefully crafted for you as a symbol of my devotion."

Anakin looked at the ring in awe. "Wow you really know how to make a ring." He chuckled as he pulled out his own ring for Obi-Wan, a silver band decorated in tiny blue scales that had been engraved into the metal.

"I'm not quite sure how to make a ring for you, but I hope this ring acts in the same way that the one you put on my finger does. It's a symbol of our love, a never ending loop that connects us and reminds us of our dedication to each other. It also serves as recognition as royalty in this kingdom, since you are marrying the prince after all." The prince chuckled while putting the ring on Obi-Wan's finger.

Smiling, Obi-Wan was leaning into Anakin to kiss him, even as the one marrying them was still pronouncing them husbands.

"And it seems I don't have to remind you that you may kiss." The man laughed, seeing the mer's arms wrapped around the prince as they kissed deeply.

Anakin wrapped his arms around Obi-Wan with a smile, then he pulled back. "Shall we go for a swim now?"

"Can we?"

"Go ahead and do your mer ceremony, darlings." Shmi spoke up, "We'll get everyone moved down to the beach for the reception. Join us when you are ready and we'll serve dinner.

Obi-Wan beamed and lowered himself into the water, holding his hand out to his life mate.

Instead of taking his hand, Anakin dove into the channel of water with a laugh, his body changing almost instantly to his mer form. He splashed water all over the floor, but to hell with it, he was the happiest he had ever been.

Sarben chuckled. "That's my boy. Acts just like me."

Obi-Wan pouted, "Don't leave me behind! It's not a race! He said, swimming after him.

"Newlyweds." Shmi chuckled, shaking her head before standing to make the announcement official that the reception would be on the beach which was already being set up with tables, chairs, and a dance floor.

Anakin slowed down so Obi-Wan could catch up, grabbing the mer's hand with a smile. "So where are we going exactly for this part?"

"Where we first met." He reminded him, "The marsh bloom glow will be quite romantic."

"I agree. I'll admit, I'm a little worried about this whole mark thing. What if it doesn't work because I'm not a true mer?"

"You were able to place your mark on the rocks you practiced on. It should work for our mating ceremony." Obi-Wan said, swimming above Anakin and slipping his arms around him.

"I hope so…" Anakin shrugged and smiled up at Obi-Wan. "Either way, I'm glad we finally get to do this."

"And…if it doesn't work for some reason…we'll just get matching tattoos. It won't link us magically, but we'll still have a visual."

Anakin nodded. "We'll get that mark one way or another."

"Even if we have to turn to a tattoo artist later, we leave the cave officially as life mates in both our worlds."

"I can't wait." Anakin squeezed Obi-Wan's hand as they reached the outside of the castle and swam into the ocean.

Unable to contain himself, Obi-Wan wiggled cutely and kissed Anakin before taking off towards the marshbloom caves, still holding Anakin's hand.

The prince chuckled and swam as fast as Obi-Wan, playfully bumping into him when they got deeper in the water.

Once they were in the cave, Obi-Wan grinned and pulled away from Anakin, pulling himself up to sit on the marshbloom-covered floor. He then leaned over a pool of water and pulled out a dish he'd prepared for the two of them before the land ceremony. "Crab." He said, motioning Anakin over, "It's one dish all mers love but save for special occasions due to the work it takes to break through to the meat."

"It does take a bit of energy to prepare it, yes." Anakin settled next to Obi-Wan, his body changing back to human as he sat on the floor.

"Well, I did all the work to get this myself. I hunted for it, caught it, and prepared it for us to share as a special little snack before we do this. Though Quinlan was kind enough to bring it here for us while we did the human ceremony. The mer ceremony will take energy, so this will help." He picked up a piece of crab meat and offered to feed it to Anakin.

Anakin opened his mouth to take the crab meat Obi-Wan offered him.

Obi-Wan gave it to him, his fingers brushing over Anakin's lips as he brought them away again. "How is it? Do you like it?"

The blond nodded his head. "It's very good. Probably the best crab I've had."

The merman beamed and took a bite of his own, savoring it as he leaned into Anakin's side.

Anakin leaned back with a happy sigh. "It's nice to settle down after the chaos of getting ready this morning."

"Yeah…I was so nervous. It's nice to have this time to ourselves before we go to the beach."

"We've got the rest of the afternoon honestly. The reception will wait for us anyways."

"I wouldn't want to make them wait too long. Food doesn't get served until we are there. But, a little time to enjoy some crab and each other won't starve them."

"We don't have to be away that long. Besides, it's not like we're consummating the marriage now or anything. That can come later."

"Mmm, in a way we did that before the wedding." Obi-Wan grinned, setting the dish of crab aside and rolling over on top of Anakin.

"I guess so, yeah." Anakin smiled and wrapped his arms around Obi-Wan.

"Though I wonder what it'd be like to mate when you have legs…" the mer thought out loud.

"Not too different I'd imagine. I'd be able to wrap my legs around you, keep you close, kinda like this." Anakin shifted his legs so they wrapped around the back of Obi-Wan's tail. A smirk formed on his lips.

"Maybe we should try it sometime." Obi-Wan winked.

"I'm down for it," Anakin said, cupping Obi-Wan's face and pulling him down for a kiss.

"Your room in the castle on your soft nest? We'd have to return to the relaxation tub right after so I don't dry out, but it seems a nice place to try."

"My bed would be a great place to try. We could also try it in the tub if you'd like."

"Nest." Obi-Wan decided, "Less of a chance for suddenly fins." He tapped Anakin's leg.

Anakin nodded. "Bed it is. You wanna try it tonight?"

Obi-Wan nodded with pinkened cheeks, "If we aren't too exhausted by the time we get to retire to our first night together as official life mates."

"I'm sure we'll have the energy if the mood is right afterwards."

"We'll see." Obi-Wan kissed him and then rolled back off him, eating some more crab.

The two ate their crab and enjoyed each other's company until the snack was finished, leaving them with everything they needed to proceed with their marking ceremony.

Obi-Wan took a deep breath, "Ready to try this?" he asked.

"If you are, yeah."

"I am." He held his hand out for Anakin's.

Anakin took Obi-Wan's hand and let out a deep breath. "Okay then, let's do this."

Obi-Wan kissed his knuckles before he shifted their hands into position, his hand on bottom facing up with Anakin's facing down over his, their palms almost touching as their fingers lightly curled against each other's wrists.

"Okay, remember how we taught you to gather the magical energy in your palm, and at the same time we will both do so, letting them mix together. Once they have mixed, we'll press our palms together, pushing the mixed spells into our palms."

"Right…" Anakin focused his magical energy alongside Obi-Wan, staring at his hand as it started to glow with the amount of magical energy being focused on it.

Two different colored magics began to swirl and mix; a deep blue flowing down from Anakin's hand, and a bluish turquoise flowing up from Obi-Wan's. As they swirled around, the color began to fade into a brilliant white that vibrated warmly between their palms.

"This is it, my love." Obi-Wan said, leaning in to kiss him as they forced their palms together, the light being pushed into their skin and causing it to burn slightly; a shape being seared into their skin. Once the pain was gone, leaving only a tingling feeling, Obi-Wan pulled back and pulled his hand back to look at it with a smile. Upon his skin was a unique design that shimmered and glowed faintly in a purple color.

Anakin looked at his own hand, simply in awe at the graceful mark that connected him to Obi-Wan, only his was a golden color, shimmering in the soft light of the marshbloom cave. "Wow…"

Obi-Wan smiled and pulled his life mate into yet another kiss before looking at Anakin's mark, "These marks will keep us connected, even when we are apart we'll be able to faintly sense each other's emotions, and could even have a general idea of what way to go to track each other down. Closer we are to each other, the more they will glow."

Anakin watched as their marks glowed brightly when their hands were next to each other. He smiled. "I love it, and I love you, Obi."

"And I love you." He pecked his cheek, "And next time one of us gets captured by a dark wizard, the other can have an easier time leading a rescue."

The prince chuckled, though he hoped a kidnapping would never happen again. "Right, well now that we have our marks, do you want to head back to the beach?"

"We should, yes." Obi-Wan slipped back into the water and waited for Anakin to join him. "Let's get our party started."

Anakin slipped in the water and swam out of the cave. "I can't wait for you to try wedding cake. It's so much better than regular cake."

"I haven't had cake. Only browns."

"Brownies," Anakin corrected with a smile. "And don't worry, this cake will blow those out of the water, no pun intended."

"Yeah, I learned the hard way that a lot of your food can't get wet. Falls apart and just becomes a mess." Obi-Wan sighed, linking arms with Anakin, "That bread stuff  didn't survive at all…"

"No, bread just doesn't survive in water at all. We need to figure out a food that can be eaten both in water and on land."

"Besides fish and other food from the sea." Obi-Wan laughed.

"Of course. But even with fish prepared by humans, it typically becomes inedible pretty quickly." Anakin shrugged. "Human food never works in water it seems."

"But it tastes good—well, most of it. Didn't like that one dish made up of all those leaves."

"A salad?" Anakin laughed. "Yeah, they can be a bit bland sometimes. But they are healthy for humans to eat."

"They stick unpleasantly to my tongue and the roof of my mouth." He pouted, "But your aunt was put in charge of the food, and she told me that she was not going to make anything leafy."

"She won't. She likes meat too much, so you won't have to worry about salads at the reception."

"I'm eager to see what she did decide to prepare." He hummed right before their heads broke the surface a short distance away from shore. They could see their guests all gathered and enjoying themselves.

Anakin readjusted his crown around his wet hair, the only accessory that had seemed to survive the transformation from human body to mer. "Let's crash our own party," he said with a smirk.

"Have them turn up the music." Obi-Wan nodded.

The younger swam towards the shore as fast as he could, his hand holding tight to Obi-Wan's so as to not leave him behind. As soon as they reached the sand, Anakin stood up once he had his human form back, and he picked up Obi-Wan and carried him over to the reception area.

Obi-Wan grinned, holding onto his husband's shoulders as he was carried.

 

* * *

* * *

 

Anakin put his arms on either side of Obi-Wan's head resting on the pillows. Their faces were flushed, breath hot on each other as their excitement grew. It was their first time being intimate outside of the water, so there was much to be explored as they moved around on the bed in Anakin's room, though really the room had become Obi-Wan's as well since the wedding.

Obi-Wan bit down on his lower lip, his hands sliding over the fabric of Anakin's pants. He was sure they would have to be removed, and he was admittedly excited to see what his husband would look like in his human form without the covers that so many land races donned.

Trying to keep his excitement a little contained, Anakin leaned down and kissed Obi-Wan heavily, putting himself in a position that was similar to a pushup. His arms were flexed tight, his broad shoulders shadowing the smaller shoulders of the mer beneath him.

Obi-Wan's eyes moved up to meet Anakins as his fingers tugged at the waist of his pants, "May I?" he asked.

Anakin nodded, shifting so Obi-Wan had an easier angle to work with.

"I've never seen you in this form without some sort of leg covers on." Obi-Wan muttered, tugging the buttons loose so he could push the pants down off his hips.

"Hopefully you like it. A good pair of legs can work wonders," Anakin said with a smirk.

"It'll be interesting to see how you're naturally built for this sort of activity….oh." Once the pants had been pushed down far enough, Obi-Wan tilted his head as he took in the sight of Anakin's penis and balls hanging freely between his legs, "Well, it's not hidden at all, is it? No protection either…no wonder you legged people put on things to cover it!" Far from being the shy, unsure merman he'd been the first time they had had some intimate fun together, Obi-Wan didn't hesitate to reach down and run his fingers over Anakin's already half-hard member.

"Very blunt tonight, aren't you?" Anakin looked where Obi-Wan's hand was, rolling his hips forward.

"You did remind me I needn't be shy with you." He smiled, feeling Anakin growing harder and larger within his gentle grip. "And I'm curious about you in this form. It's kind of cute how vulnerable you are in this form. No hiding how lustful you feel, either with how it grows."

"Yeah, it's hard to hide if you get aroused, but I guess that's just the way humans work."

"No wonder you like to do it for fun and not just to make pups." Obi-Wan chuckled, wiggling himself down to kiss Anakin's blushing tip before he slipped it into his mouth.

Anakin gripped the pillow as Obi-Wan started to bob his head. "It's a favorite pastime of humans."

Obi-Wan hummed in understanding. After all, it did feel wonderful, and just thinking about it while he had his husband in his mouth was getting him excited enough that he could feel that the patch of scales had already softened without having been coaxed to open up yet.

With a soft sigh, Anakin shifted his weight onto his forearms, ducking his head as he closed his eyes.

The mer let his hands roam Anakin's body as he sucked, fingers exploring the lower human half of his love until his jaw grew tired and he pulled back and pushed himself up so that he could plant a kiss on Anakin's lips.

Anakin smiled at Obi-Wan. "Well, you got me all excited. Should I return the favor?"

"Well, I wouldn't beg for it but…yes." Obi-Wan flushed.

The blond didn't waste time moving his hand downward and teasing the sensitive patch of scales on Obi-Wan's body, his fingers light but diligent.

It didn't take long for the scales to part, allowing Obi-Wan's member to poke out just as it had every other time they decided to mate.

"Anakin…are we going to try for pups this time?" Obi-Wan asked. They had been discussing pups more often since they got married.

"Do you want to?" Anakin asked as he looked into Obi-Wan's steel blue eyes.

Obi-Wan gave a little nod, "I think we're ready for a tiny little pup or two swimming around our homes."

"I won't worry about protection then." Anakin dipped a finger into Obi-Wan's entrance, knowing just the right place to touch to get the mer to gasp.

"Ah!" Obi-Wan shivered and curled his tail slightly. "Let's find out together if we even can have pups." He managed to say despite Anakin teasing him in just the right spots.

"Of course. Hopefully we can. I don't see why we wouldn't be able to." Anakin removed his finger and trailed his hand down Obi-Wan's tail as he straightened up. His knees were on either side of the mer, drawn in close to keep Obi-Wan in place while Anakin moved his hand from the tail to his thigh, his other hand working on his own erection, a smirk on his face. "Of course, babies aren't directly on our minds right now, right?

"No, they are just the possible result we get in the future." Obi-Wan grinned "Right now it's all about the act that would lead to the pups."

"Are you ready?" Anakin asked as he sat back on his heels and rested his hand around the parted scales.

"I am." Obi-Wan nodded.

Knowing that his husband was ready like he was, Anakin adjusted and lifted Obi-Wan's hips just enough so he could easily slip inside with little discomfort.

"Let me know if a different position is easier for you. I know I can't move as easily out of the water to help." Obi-Wan said, brushing Anakin's mostly dry curls back behind his ear.

"It's alright, I just need to figure out the comfortable position." Anakin lined himself up and slowly started to insert himself into Obi-Wan, going slowly in case the movement wasn't as comfortable as both would have liked.

"Well," Obi-Wan said, flushed, "You feel the same so far."

"That's a good sign," Anakin said with a smile. He kept moving until he was fully inside his husband, then he shifted the both of them so when he started to thrust he would have a better angle besides straight down.

Obi-Wan wrapped his arms around Anakin, his tail flickering up and down as he wasn't sure what to do with it. "Ready?" he whispered, pulling them closer and closer until heir lips nearly touched.

"Yeah, are you comfortable?"

Yeah, as much as I can be out of water. I'm not sure what to do with my tail since your tail doesn't exist right now, but I don't feel like I'm drying out, at least."

"That's good. Just let me know if we need to stop." Anakin pulled his hips back and started thrusting lightly and slowly.

Obi-Wan was intending on answering Anakin, but instead he let out a slow moan, closing his eyes as he pushed himself up into Anakin's thrusts.

The pace was steady and provided stimulation for both mer and quarter-elf. Soon the pace picked up, Anakin going just a little deeper while he cupped Obi-Wan's cheek with one hand.

Moaning out with each thrust, Obi-Wan gripped Anakin's shoulders and cracked his eyes open to look up at his life mate, feeling like he was falling in love all over again.

Anakin kissed Obi-Wan's cheek with a smile, holding him close as they made love. His hips worked a little quicker with each thrust until a somewhat quick but gentle pace was achieved.

"Ani…" Obi-Wan moaned out louder, turning his head to catch Anakin's lips and coax him into a deep kiss.

Anakin paused briefly to kiss Obi-Wan, but his hips started moving again almost on their own while still in the kiss. He groaned a little, not too loud but deep and rough.

Obi-Wan's tail lifted up between Anakin's legs and curled gently, his fins hanging down and brushing against Anakin's butt cheeks as he thrust.

The blond glanced back at the fins, chuckling to himself while choosing to speed up the pace. "I think you found what to do with your tail."

"Tail found what to do on its own." Obi-Wan moaned out between gasps, "My head's getting fuzzy again—!"

"Right, no more talking." Anakin nuzzled his face into Obi-Wan's neck and focused on the rhythm of his hips.

Their thrusts grew deeper and faster, moaning filling the room as the two lovers held each other tight.

"C-Cu-! Ani!" Obi-Wan cried out, body going stiff as he reached his limit.

Feeling Obi-Wan squeeze around him, Anakin groaned, thrusting a few more times to build himself up to his climax, then with another groan he tumbled over the edge, holding his life mate tight as he orgasmed.

Obi-Wan hid his face into Anakin's neck as he felt a warmth spread within him, and once thy both seemed to be able to relax, the mer collapsed against the soft pillows.

Anakin sighed happily as he kept himself inside Obi-Wan for a little longer in an attempt to heighten the chance of getting his mate pregnant. He looked down at the mer in the bliss of the moment. "That was pretty great."

Obi-Wan smiled gently and pushed himself up to kiss Anakin, "Cuddles in the water to make it even more perfect?"

"They do." Anakin pulled himself out of Obi-Wan, choosing to place a small kiss on the mer's belly before picking him up and carrying him back to the water.

Once he was lowered into the water, Obi-Wan stretched as he waited for Anakin to join him.. then he curled up with his now mer-like husband. "So, what do you like more? Sex with fins or sex with legs?"

"I don't know. We've had plenty of times with fins, but only once with legs." Anakin shrugged. "Both are pretty good, I don't know if I could compare them."

"Well, if you decide you like one way more, then we'll do it that way more." Obi-Wan said.

"I say we just even it out and have a lot more of both." Anakin chuckled and kissed Obi-Wan.

"I won't deny the chance to do so with you more often." Obi-Wan chuckled, "You have corrupted me with your human ways, my love."

"Too bad you're the only one now. The other mers might not grasp the concept of mating without getting pregnant. Then again… most others species in nature don't have sex for fun."

"It's their choice." Obi-Wan shrugged, "I choose to enjoy it even when we aren't trying for pups. Though this time…" he placed a hand on his middle with a smile, "hopefully I will start growing here."

"My mom will probably be happy if we do have a kid on the way. Plus that gives us an heir to the throne of our kingdom."

"My father would also be happy to have a grandpup to spoil." Obi-Wan chuckled.

"Our kid is going to have an interesting family line. Half mer, part elf, part human, interesting combination for sure. It'd be a great conversation starter."

"I wonder if they will have legs or fins…" Obi-Wan hummed, "Hey, how long does human pregnancies last?"

"Typically nine months. What about mers?"

"Six months. If I do end up pregnant, then it seems we will have to keep healers for both mer and human or elf close."

"We have technology now that can allow us to see the baby and watch it. I'm sure that'll come in handy."

"That'll be good. Especially to get an idea as to how long the pregnancy should be. I hope our pup comes out healthy." He sighed, snuggling more into Anakin.

"Me too." Anakin closed his eyes and leaned into Obi-Wan.

"I love you." Obi-Wan sighed, kissing Anakin's knuckles.

"I love you too, Obi."

The merman smiled and tugged Anakin further down into the water where they could curl up in the warmth and drift off to sleep together.

* * *

End

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For any who skipped the smut, just know that they decided to try for a pup/baby.
> 
> Thank you for reading! We hope you enjoyed our little AU.


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